A nationwide strike or Bharat Bandh has been called from 6 am on Monday for 48 hours to protest against the economic policies of the government. The trade unions that have called the strike are the ones that are affiliated with the opposition parties in India like the Congress and the Left. This 48-hour bandh is not expected to harm the daily life of the citizens of the country and will only focus on establishments that are sympathetic to the trade unions that they are members of.

Banks in India have also extended their support to the strike and will remain closed for 48 hours against the move by the central government to privatise banks and for amendments to the Banking Laws Amendment Bill 2021. The other unions who have extended support to the Bharat Bandh include unions in the sectors such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper and insurance. This is expected to spill over to the general merchants and retail establishments.

While there are states in India that tend to wholeheartedly participate in any nationwide bandh or strike like Kerala, some other states have an official policy against these disruptions to public life like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The Mamata Banerjee led government in West Bengal has issued a memo to all government employees barring them from participating or even taking a casual leave during these days. An official announcement states that employees who defy this order will be issued a show-cause notice.

Union representatives have often called the policies of the NDA government in the centre to be “anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-poor”. The recent hike in petrol, diesel and LPG have triggered this protest with the unions extending invitations to all trade unions in the country with most of them joining hands. Hospitals and Transport unions have refused to be part of the strike. The final list of participants will be known today once the bandh comes into practice.

For the unversed, a bandh is a form of civil disobedience where the community or political party declaring a bandh expects the general public to stay at home and not report for work. Shopkeepers are expected to keep their shops closed, and public transport operators are expected to stay off the road. The Supreme Court of India had banned this practice in 1998 but it continues to date. A Bharat Bandh means that it applies to the whole country.

While the general public in India who have no or limited political affiliations find this as a complete inconvenience, the politically inclined tend to either support by staying at home or defy it by stepping out for the silliest reasons.

The Bharat Bandh has received surprise support and thanks from across the border where the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has thanked the trade unions for supporting him and announcing the Bharat Bandh against the no-confidence motion being filed against him.

Read the full article at https://thedailyvanilla.com/2022/03/28/48-hour-bharat-bandh-gives-hope-claims-imran-khan/