The Bharat bandh called by Samyukt Kisan Morcha and trade unions in protest against the ‘anti-farmer’ and ‘anti-labour’ policies of the Centre, evoked a good response in south coastal Andhra Pradesh on Friday.
Buses stayed off the road till 1 p.m. in both Prakasam and Nellore districts as the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) extended its support to the stir demanding withdrawal of the three farm laws and reversal of the privatisation of Public Sector Units (PSUs).
Shops and business establishments remained closed during the bandh, which passed off peacefully. Educational institutions declared a holiday for their students.
Activists forced closure of Central and State government offices as well as commercial banks. Except the BJP and its ally Jana Sena Party, all parties extended support to the bandh.
In Ongole, the protesters led by All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee’s Prakasam district convener Ch. Ranga Rao held a massive rally on the arterial Trunk Road. Activists cutting across party lines took part in the rally and raised slogans in support of their demands, including statutory backing to Minimum Support Price (MSP) and scrapping of the Electricity Amendment Bill which they alleged was aimed at phasing out power subsidy to farmers.
“We will continue with our struggle till the Centre abolishes the farm laws and halts privatisation of public sector units,” CPI(M) Prakasam district secretary P. Anjaneyulu said.
In Nellore, activists led by Communist Party of India district secretary Ch. Prabhakar and CPI (Marxist) district secretary M. Ramesh took out a rally from the Atmakur bus stand to the Gandhi Bomma centre and enforced the bandh. They raised slogans against the Centre’s decision to privatise not just Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) but also public sector banks, insurance companies, and telecom firms.
