Left peasants' organisations in West Bengal to observe agriculture bandh

KOLKATA: Left peasants’ organisations in West Bengal will observe agriculture bandh on January 4 to oppose the "anti-farmer role" being played by the Trinamool Congress-run government. CPIM leader and president of the party’s peasants wing Madan Ghosh said on Tuesday that "eight farmers in the state were forced to commit suicide following an acute crisis in the agriculture sector. The government is not giving support price to the farmers for their products."

The Left organisations, however, exempted government offices, academic institutions and public transport from the purview of their January 4 bandh. Ghosh also said that "no farmer will tilt their land on the bandh day and all agriculture related works will come to a halt on January 4. Farmers are in deep crisis under the new regime and we hope they will respond positively to the bandh call."

This will be the first bandh called by the Left parties after Mamata Banerjee's government came to power in May this year.