Protests erupt in West Bengal against Farm Bills

Protests against the passage of farm Bills have erupted across West Bengal with both the Opposition parties and the ruling Trinamool Congress hitting the streets on Friday.

The farmers’ wing of CPM and those of other major Left Front constituents such as the CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc took out protest marches in several districts.

Protests were held in the rural areas of the districts of Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Bankura, Murshidabad and Hooghly. The protesters also blocked roads at several places which resulted in traffic congestion.

Slogans were raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and they accused the Centre of trying to open up the agriculture sector to major corporates while pushing small-time farmers to abject poverty and starvation.

At some places, protests were jointly held by Left Front and Congress workers.

Track live updates of the protests against the Farm Bills here

The protests in Bengal led by the Left Front were against Farmer’s (Empowerment and Protection) Bill 2020 and the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020 are part of the nationwide agitation by the Sara Bharat Krishak Sangram Committee.

The TMC’s Kissan Khet Mazdoor Cell also took out protest marches in several districts.

The ruling party in the state held a protest demonstration in Central Kolkata against the Bills.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made it clear that her party would go all out over the issue and had pressed all the organisations in the party into service including the students, youth and woman’s wings.

The Left Front and the Congress had demanded that a resolution be passed in the state Assembly against the Bills.

They have told the chief minister that the step was the need of the hour.

Although TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee did not seem averse to the proposal, he asked why the CPM and the Congress were not going all out against the Bills.