Bharat Bandh live updates: No talks between govt & farmers on Wednesday, says farmer leader after meeting with Shah

The Punjab CM asked why the Centre could not heed the demands of the farmers, agitating across the country, to scrap these laws and hold fresh talks with all stakeholders. “Had I been in their place I would not have taken a minute to accept my mistake and revoke the laws,” he said in a statement. Asserting that the "whole country was with the farmers in their pain and in their fight for survival", Singh said the Centre should allow the existing system to continue instead of scrapping the 'arthiya' (commission agent) and mandi system, as the farm laws were designed to do.

"Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari & Mangesh borders are closed. NH-44 is closed. Please take alternate routes via Lampur, Safiabad, Saboli & Singhu school toll tax borders. Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road, NH-44,” the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted.

Lawyers held peaceful protests at various district court complexes in the national capital on Tuesday in support of farmers' agitation against the new farm laws. While lawyers at Karkardooma district courts held a protest march raising slogans to take back the laws, lawyers at Tis Hazari district courts held a meeting in solidarity with the farmers and put forward certain demands on their behalf.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that BJP is trying to divert the attention by creating controversy over his letters written during his tenure as the union agriculture minister in the UPA dispensation to then Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, asking them to amend the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act in their states.

A clash broke out between Congress and BJP workers in Rajasthan's Jaipur during Tuesday's Bharat Bandh, which otherwise evoked a mixed reaction in the state with mandis closed but several shops open and transport services running. Markets and business activities were partially affected at other places such as Kota, Jodhpur and Bikaner. Shops in a few towns in Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar were closed to support the farmer unions' call for a nationwide strike against the Centre's agri laws, while others were open as usual.

"It is a conscious decision on our part to stay away from the protest sites. The farmer groups themselves also told us that they would want it this way. So, we have no party banners at the protest sites. However, our MPs are there, as parliamentarians, to show solidarity. We do not want to politicise the issue. It's not just the Left parties, but all opposition has taken this call that except MPs no leader will join the farmers," said CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Little effect was seen in the hill districts of Chamoli, Pauri, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag while the border district of Pithoragarh observed a complete strike. Shops and business establishments at Jaspur, Kashipur, Bajpur, Gadarpur, Kichcha, Sitarganj, Khatima and Nanakmatta in Udham Singh Nagar district remained shut.

"The opposition, which could not get to power through people's support and votes, is infuriated and is trying to disrupt the law and order situation for political gain. We have seen scenes where workers of the opposition parties are forcefully shutting down shops and markets. The country does not want bandh. But a bandh on the opposition's misguided policies and corruption," Irani said.

Farmers blocked national highways and other key roads at many places in Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday as part of the their nationwide protest to press for repeal of the Centre's new agri marketing laws. Shops and commercial establishments remained closed at most places in Punjab and several places in Haryana as traders backed the agitating farmers. Public and private transport services remained shut in Punjab. In neighbouring Haryana, inter-state and intra-state bus services were disrupted. Petroleum dealers in the twin states kept filling stations closed to support the 'Bharat Bandh' called by the farmer unions.