On Wednesday, farmer unions called for a bharat bandh or countrywide shutdown on March 26, when farmer’s protest at borders of Delhi against the Centre’s three new farm laws completes four months.
Farmer leader Buta Singh Burjgill said farmers along with trade unions will protest the hike in fuel prices and privatisation of railways on March 15.
He said that the bharat bandh will remain effective from morning till evening at Singhu border on March 26. The farmers will observe “Mandi Bachao-Kheti Bachao” day on March 19, he added.
The farmer unions have also decided to celebrate ‘Shaheedi divas’ of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, he said.
Farmer leaders said that copies of the new farm laws will be burnt during ‘Holika Dahan’ on March 28.
The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the MSP system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.