Amaravati: Bandh passes off with no incidents, normal life hit

Amaravati: The Bharat Bandh in protest against the controversial new farm laws passed by the Centre, passed off without any incident in the state with the state government lending support by suspending APSRTC bus services. Even the state Secretariat opened after 1 pm on Tuesday as the government did not arrange buses in the morning for the employees to reach Velagapudi.

There was not much impact on normal life as the supporters of the bandh mostly confined their protests to bus stations and highways where traffic blockades were held. Educational institutions, however, remained shut on the advice of the state government while banks and other Central government offices functioned normally.

The Left parties took out protest marches in different towns of the state demanding that the Centre scrap the new farm laws that would benefit only the corporates and not the actual farmers.

Leaders and cadres of Left and Congress parties enforced the Bharat Bandh in Vijayawada and other major centres in the state. Left parties and others opposing the three laws protested in Tiruapati where the BJP is eyeing the Parliament seat that fell vacant due to demise of Balli Durgaprasad.

In Vijayawada, CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna, CPM state secretary P Madhu, Congress city president N Narasimha Rao, CPM state secretariat member Ch Babu Rao and other leaders participated in the protest near the Pandit Nehru Bus Station. K Ramakrishna and P Madhu have demanded that the Union government must withdraw three farm laws. CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna demanded that these farms bills be withdrawn in the coming days. "These options of buying anywhere and selling anywhere is for the corporates to hoard and sell at any cost," said Ramakrishna.

He alleged that Narendra Modi is working for the benefit of corporates. "All over the country farmers and others are participating in the bandh. People from all walks of life are voluntarily extending support," he said.

In Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district, former Amalapuram MP Harsha Kumar who recently joined the Congress led a bike rally in support of the farmers.

Like other places, Nellore police have also tightened security in the district to prevent untoward incidents, even as supporters of Left parties protested in Guduru, TP Guduru, and other places.

The TDP too supported the bandh. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu called for a national debate on the farm laws and wanted the Centre to build a consensus after deliberating with the farmers and the farmers associations.

He said minimum support price should be made a statutory right for the farmers and not be at the mercy of someone. The ruling YSRCP, which was pushed on to the defensive as it supported the farm laws in Parliament, said it hoped a solution to the ongoing crisis would be found soon, particularly over the minimum support price issue.

State agriculture minister K Kannababu, in a statement, said the YSRCP supported the farm laws on the condition that they would not harm the farmers interests in any way. "We supported the new legislation only after the Centre gave a categorical assurance that MSP will be strictly implemented and that the farmers interests will be protected. We wish the talks between the Centre and the farmers' unions will soon bear fruit and solve the current crisis," Kannababu added.