Dhanbad: Lukewarm response to Bandh call

The ‘Bharat Bandh’ call from organisations to press the Union government to accept farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP, witnessed a lukewarm response in Dhanbad on Friday, as all business and industrial establishments and government offices functioned regularly, people close to developments said.

According to the people, vehicular transport was slightly affected due to a strike carried out by one of the auto drivers’ associations. However, the movement of inter-district and interstate buses remained normal. The leaders of different political parties and trade union leaders staged demonstrations across several parts of the district, including at Randhir Verma Chowk near the district headquarters and Indra Chowk in Jharia.

District Congress president Santosh Singh, with other senior party leaders and state secretary

Ashok Singh, led a demonstration at Randhir Verma Chowk.

A separate protest by trade union leaders and farmers’ organizations under the banner of Mazdoor Karmachari Samanvya Samiti was also organised, during which a large number of trade union leaders as well as representatives affiliated with the Bihar Jharkhand Sales Representative’s Union were also present.

Santosh Singh said, “We support all the demands of farmers, and all other constituents of INDIA are united in our resolve to support the farmers’ demand, the first and foremost of which is Minimum Support Price (MSP).”

Meanwhile, life remained unaffected in the Jharkhand capital, even as hundreds of farmers supported the United Kisan Morcha and United Central Trade Union-sponsored Gramin Bharat Bandh call.

Hundreds of farmers and labourers were seen marching towards Shaheed Chowk from Sainik Bazar on Main Road in Ranchi in support of the bandh.