Bharat bandh: Rahul Gandhi 'salutes' workers, daily life hit in Kerala

The Bharat bandh called by a joint front of trade unions to protest against the labour policies of the Narendra Modi government began at midnight on Tuesday. The impact of the bandh appears to be mixed in the early hours of Wednesday.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted in support of the Bharat bandh. He wrote, “The Modi-Shah Govt’s anti people, anti labour policies have created catastrophic unemployment & are weakening our PSUs to justify their sale to Modi’s crony capitalist friends. Today, over 25 crore workers have called for #BharatBandh2020 in protest. I salute them.”

The Bharat bandh appears to have had considerable impact in Kerala, a stronghold of trade unions, hitting bank and transport services across the state. Services of the state-tun KSRTC bus service were adversely hit as workers' unions stayed away from work. Shops and establishments in towns and cities of Kerala remained closed on Wednesday morning. The trade unions had claimed no shops would be forcibly shut. The trade unions had exempted Sabarimala pilgrims and Kerala's tourism sector from the ambit of the Bharat bandh.

In West Bengal, Bharat bandh supporters blocked railway tracks in Howrah and North 24 Parganas.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced she would not support the Bharat Bandh and had made attendance in government offices mandatory. Various student unions have also joined the strike to protest against the violence at JNU.

The West Bengal government had announced 22 per cent more buses would be operated on the day of the bandh:West Bengal Transport Corporation will operate 1,150 buses compared with a daily average of 900, while South Bengal State Transport Corporation will run 826 buses as against a normal of 692. The North Bengal State Transport Corporation will run 655 buses compared with a daily average of 605 buses. In Siliguri, bus drivers could be seen wearing helmets while operating to protect against possible stone pelting.

In Mumbai, employee unions of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited staged a protest against the Narendra Modi government's decision to pursue strategic disinvestment of Bharat Petroleum. The government's intention to cut its stake in Air India and Bharat Petroleum has been a key issue highlighted by the striking trade unions.