Bharat Bandh July 9: Complete Shutdown In Kerala; Delhi, Mumbai Remain Unaffected

The trade unions called for the general strike as they demand doing away with the four labour codes, contractualisation, privatisation of PSUs, increasing minimum wages to Rs 26,000 per month, as well as the demands of farmer organisations for minimum support price for crops based on Swaminathan commission's formula of C2 plus 50 per cent, and loan waiver for farmers.

A 24-hour nationwide general strike called by trade unions to protest against the central government's alleged anti-labour policies, including the four new labour codes brought life in Kerala to a complete standstill on Wednesday.

The strike, which began Tuesday midnight has received strong support from trade unions and Left-leaning organisations in the CPI(M)-ruled state.

The nationwide general strike has been called by the Joint Platform of Trade Unions, which comprises 10 central trade unions (CTUs) along with independent all-India sectoral federations and associations.

From public transport to government offices, the strike has seen widespread participation across the state.

Kerala is witnessing a total shutdown, with shops, institutions, and most services remaining closed.

Roads wore a deserted look as buses stayed off the streets, and workers across various sectors stayed away from their duties in solidarity.

However, essential services like healthcare, emergency services, and milk supply have been exempted from the strike to avoid public hardship.

All India Trade Union Congress, a forum of 10 central trade unions called on strike across the country.

All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur told PTI that the general strike started across the country on Wednesday morning and she has received reports and pictures of the agitation from states, including West Bengal, Kerala, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar.

She said banking, postal, and electricity services will be affected by the strike.

She said copper and coal mining will be hit, while the impact will also be felt on public transport in several states.

She further said the farmers' unions in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan will also hold protest in their areas.

The forum has claimed that 25 crore workers are being mobilised for the "general strike" in protest against the new labour codes, along with other issues.

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar joined Teachers' protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Wednesday as part of the Bharat Bandh called by labour and trade unions.

The West Bengal government has made arrangements to ensure that normal life was not impacted during a countrywide general strike called by 10 central trade unions and supported by the Left parties in the state on Wednesday.

Supporters of the strike, which began at 6 am, tried to block train movement at Diamond Harbour in the Sealdah South section and Shyamnagar in the North Section of Eastern Railways' Sealdah division.

They also tried to block roads in different parts of the state, including Jalpaiguri, Asansol and Bankura.

The police and administration in the state made elaborate security and transport arrangements to ensure normal life.

Police contingents were posted at important places to ensure the smooth movement of traffic.

Update from Kolkata: Police arrested 19 protesters including SFI's All India General Secratary Srijan Bhattacharyya from, a protest site in Kolkata's Ganguly Bagan. They now are being taken to Lalbazar police station

Workers of opposition parties disrupt rail, road traffic to enforce 'Bihar Bandh'

“It’s the protest of 62,000 unaided teachers of Maharashtra. We are here to support them. The number of protesters is increasing. Teachers have only one demand to fulfil the GR, which the government took out before elections. They demand the GR to be implemented,” says NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar as he joins Teachers’ protest at Azad Maidan.

A procession was taken out from Gandhi Maidan in Gaya, which passed through Rai Kashinath Mod, Kachahari, the Collectorate, GB Road, Tower Chowk, and Ramna Road, covering various parts of the city.

Leaders of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and trade union representatives are participating in the bandh.

Kannur, Kerala: The strikes have shut down most of the government institutions in Kerala. Reporter KA Shaji said, "only private vehicles are allowed to ply. Shops and establishments keep their shutters down. Transport buses are staying off the road."

Kannur, Kerala: An incident of strike supporters deflating the tyres of seven cars came in from Kannur district in Kerala. The cars being stopped on the road was carrying 15 teachers who were on their way to work at Nedungom Government Higher Secondary School in Kannur district.

According to sources, the teachers are RSS affiliated, and they continue to remain in school, where no students turned up.

Meanwhile, at the Government UP School at Parappa near Vellarikind in Kasargod district, strike workers reportedly locked a teacher from outside the staff room for opening the school.

Later police had to reach the school premises to release her.

Kerala general education minister V Sivankutty of CPM preferred walking to his party office in Thiruvanathapuram, expressing solidarity with the strike.

He avoided vehicles and walked for about two kilometers, said sources.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Congress MP and LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi joined Mahagathbandhan protest against electoral rolls revision in poll-bound Bihar

Yadav said, "On the directions of Modi ji and Nitish Kumar, the names of the poor people are being removed from the voter list. Modi ji and Nitish Kumar ji's 'dadagiri' will not work..."

Speaking about 'Bihar Bandh', NSUI National incharge Kanhaiya Kumar said, "We have come out on the streets to protect democracy. If the streets become silent, then the Parliament goes astray (Agar sadke sooni ho jaaye to saansad awara ho jaati hai)."

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray addressed people during teachers' protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.

NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar also attended the protest in the morning.

Mahagathbandhan workers block railway tracks at railway station in Ara. Meanwhile Pappu Yadav joins INDIA Bloc, blocks railway tracks at Patna Junction.

BJP using new 'Bihar model' to rig polls, snatch poor’s voting rights, says Rahul Gandhi.

Kozhikode, Kerala: According to reports from Mukkom in Kozhikode district, strike supporters threatened a fish vendor with setting fire to the displayed fish after dosing them with kerosene. Then he stopped selling the fish.

T P Ramakrishnan, convener of the ruling LDF in Kerala, termed this and similar incidents minor aberrations while the whole working class is pursuing a larger goal.

“All must desist from work today to correct the draconian government at the centre. Nobody can seek exemptions other than those travelling for healthcare, newspaper distribution and milk supply. We gave advance information to the people about the strike; no one could object to it. We are ready to even associate with Sangh Parivar-affiliated BMS for pressing for the demands of the working class, “ he said.

CPIM leader and MLA Kulgam, Mohd Yusuf Tarigami told reporters that the administration has revoked the permission earlier granted to CPIM to stage a protest at Sher-e-Kashmir Park, Srinagar as part of the general strike called by Central trade unions.

The protest was meant to oppose anti-working class and anti-farmer policies, he said.

Kolkata, West Bengal: Srijan Bhattacharyya, All India SFI General Secretary told reporter Jheelum Basu, “Our strike is against the labour code, unemployment, MGNREGA issues. Working hours are increasing while the salaries remain unchanged. This is a strike against the BJP’s policies and the TMC-led government’s police force is creating obstacles for us since the morning.”

‘We were peacefully protesting, campaigning, and urging people to join the strike. Burning tyres is a common sight that we often come across in protests. However, police intervened when we were preparing for the same, and it led to a massive scuffle when male police officers manhandled women protesters. They repeatedly attacked us as well. They have arrested 19 of us and we are being taken to Lalbazar Police Station.”

SFI student leader Puja Mondal said, ‘We gathered at Baghajatin More and were continuing with the rally when police suddenly attacked us. We were simply raising slogans and protesting peacefully. We were only placing the common people’s legitimate demands. They could not stand that. They arrested three women, including me. What surprised us was the fact that around 10-12 police officers came for each one of us.

Trinamool Congress party-led government is in power in West Bengal and CM Mamata Banerjee has often criticised policies introduced by BJP-led Centre.

Life of residents in Delhi seem to continue without any hurdles as the general strikes were not observed in majority of the places in the national capital.

Shops, markets in Delhi are not only open but visited by several people. Banks are also functional.

Members and supporters of AITUC held protests in prominent areas of Kolkata including Jadavpur Railway station, Uttarpara railway station, Garia and Baghajatin.

As per reporters, several banks remained closed in the city but schools continue to function. The roads are comparatively empty with few instances of protesters burning tyres and effigies.

Gathering of people from unions including AICCTU, bank employees, AITUC held protests near Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

As per reporters, the unions did not block roads, they held peaceful protests against the labour codes proposed by the BJP-led Centre.

While the nationwide Bharat Bandh has disrupted services in several parts of the country, Mumbai remains largely unaffected. Most shops and commercial establishments are open, and public transportation is running without major disruptions. However, operations at some banks and postal services have seen partial impact.

In Tamil Nadu, the leaders and activists of various Trade Union have staged a road-roko protest in front of Madurai Railway junction

Commercial vehicles remained off the roads in Assam as members of several unions including tea garden workers staged demonstrations across the State in support of the nationwide strike called by trade unions to oppose the Central government’s alleged “anti-labour” policies.

State units of almost all transport workers’ bodies have lent their support to the strike, bringing the sector to a halt in the State.

Commercial vehicles, including buses and trucks, remained off the roads, though services of school buses and vehicles engaged in emergency services were not affected. In Guwahati, city buses as well as app-based taxis went off the roads, creating problems for commuters.

Source: PTI

Jammu, J&K: Due to the ‘Bharat Bandh’ rally, trade unions and ASHA workers have called for a nationwide shutdown An ASHA worker says, "We have come here in such heavy rain. The government should know that we have been working for 18 years. We are ASHA workers, yet the government has given us nothing; no incentives, no salary, nothing at all..."

Due to the ‘Bharat Bandh’ rally, trade unions and ASHA workers have called for a nationwide shutdown.

An ASHA worker says, "We have come here in such heavy rain. The government should know that we have been working for 18 years. We are ASHA workers, yet the government has given us nothing; no incentives, no salary, nothing at all..."

Source: IANS

Speaking to Outlook, in Garia in Kolkata, Monalisa Sinha, AIDWA General Secretary South 24 Parganas said, "Working women are actively participating in the strike. This is happening at a time when, from facing the gender-based pay gap to becoming the victims of the rising cases of sexual harassment at the workplace, working women have been dealing with unprecedented oppression. That is exactly why, be it the women workers at the tea gardens or the women migrant workers, all are coming out in support of the strike."

She added that this is why the AIDWA are "supporting the nationwide general strike called by the central trade unions."

• While the nationwide Bharat Bandh has disrupted services in several parts of the country, Mumbai and Delhi remains largely unaffected. Most shops and commercial establishments are open, and public transportation is running without major disruptions. However, operations at some banks and postal services have seen partial impact.

• Meanwhile, largely peaceful protests were observed in Kolkata with some reports of opposition leaders being detained.

• Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi visited Patna, Bihar to participate in 'Chakka Jam' demonstrations, joined by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to protest against the labour codes proposed by BJP-led Centre.

• Union members were also seen protesting in Assam, Meghalaya, Odisha and Goa.

• The bandh has been called by ten major national trade unions, supported by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a prominent farmers' alliance, which led the anti-farm law protests in 2020-21.

• Workers and unions are demanding a withdrawal of the labour codes, which have been passed as overarching policies, and which significantly change the laws and regulations related to worker protection and job security. They call it central overreach and unfair to workers, especially as it significantly increases their legal hours of work. They want to stop the government’s drive to privatise public sector outfits, so that more secure, long-term jobs can be created in the government sector.