Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Dec 8: The Bharat Bandh ostensibly called by farmers in protest against the new Farm Bills exhibited more political vigor but evoked insignificant response from the actual tillers of the soil. The call was supposed to be of, for and by the farmers in which opposition political parties found opportunities to add confusion among the tillers and instigate them against the central government but a random survey along the East Singhbhum district projected a rather insipid picture as the people for whom the call was given were seen busy in their fields preparing to take home their harvests.
The picture was the same be it that of Patamda or Potka or the Ghatshila Subdivision. The farmers were busy, along with their family members in threshing their cut paddy crops to be later stored in home granaries.
The farmers at Galudih were in fact unaware of the bandh. Bimba Singh of Kitadih village in Ghatshila Block who with his family members was threshing paddy said, “Yes I have heard about the bandh call. But I have not been informed of the reason.” Another farmer, Manohar too reiterated Bimba’s observation. Lady farmer Parvati Singh stated, “Such bandhs have adverse effects on the poor. The central government has paid Rs 2,000 into our bank accounts. This is the first time that farming has become easier. Anyway, the bandh call itself is meaningless.”
Back in Patamda Basti, farmer Kanchan Mahto said, “I just know that a Bharat Bandh is on. But I am unaware of who called the bandh and what is the reason behind the call. We farmers are busy with our work. If we do not shift our harvested crops to our homes, the whole year’s efforts will go to waste.”
