New Delhi: A day after President Ram Nath Kovind signed the Agriculture Bills and made them laws, Punjab Youth Congress workers on Monday set ablaze a tractor in the high security India Gate area to protest against the contentious legislation.
On the other hand, Karnataka is witnessing a near total shutdown in the state even as nationwide protests against the Farm Bills that started last week continued unabated.
Earlier in the morning today, at around 7.15 a.m. on the birth anniversary of revolutionary Bhagat Singh about 10-15 Punjab Youth Congress activists arrived in the national capital in a truck to protest against the controversial farm laws.
The activists offloaded a tractor from the truck and set it on fire. "If the deaf are to hear, the sound has to be very loud: Bhagat Singh," the IYC quoted the martyr in a tweet.
"In honour of the memory of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Punjab Youth Congress protested against the BJP government's apathetic treatment of farmers by lighting a tractor at India Gate. Wake the sleeping govt. Inquilab Zindabad."
It also attached a video of the act that was carried out metres away from the India Gate and not far from the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Punjab Congress leaders, led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, on Monday launched a sit-in agitation against the contentious agricultural laws at Khatkar Kalan in Nawanshahr, the birthplace of Bhagat Singh.
Besides legal recourse, the Punjab government was looking at other options to scuttle the Centre's new agriculture laws "that are designed to ruin Punjab's farmers and economy", said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister sat on 'dharna' against the "draconian" laws after paying tributes to Bhagat Singh at his 'Samadhi Sthal' on his 113 birth anniversary.
AICC General Secretary and state affairs in-charge Harish Rawat, state party chief Sunil Jakhar and Cabinet ministers were among those present.
Terming President Ram Nath Kovind's assent to the Farm Bills as "unfortunate and distressing", Amarinder Singh said his government is exploring all options, including possible amendments to the state laws, to protect the interests of the farmers.
A day-long Karnataka Bandh (state wide shutdown) called by several farmers, Dalits and pro-Kannada organisations against the passage of agriculture related Bills in Parliament on Monday saw a successful execution in large parts of Karnataka, except in districts like Mangaluru and Udupi, where the Sangh Parivar allied groups wields iron like grip.
Both opposition parties Congress and JD(S) have extended their support to the Bandh call given by these organisations and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee was even participating in the Bandh by organising a protest in front of its state headquarters.
On the other hand, the Karnataka government had directed major transport corporations to keep open its operations, but in some districts like Belagavi, Dharwad where farmers and pro-Kannada activists hold sway seized bus stations not allowing movement of the vehicles.
Bengaluru city police commissioner, Kamal Panth through his Twitter asserted that the police had taken all measures and it will act tough on those who try to impose forced Bandh in the city.
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