Bharat Bandh on May 25: Who Called the Strike, What's Open & What's Shut Today

Several parts of India will be observing a nationwide strike after members of the Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) called for ‘Bharat bandh’ on Wednesday.

Who called the Bharat bandh?

BAMCEF President Vaman Meshram said, “Our Bharat Bandh movement has been supported by Rashtriya Parivartan Morcha, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Bahujan Mukti Morcha and many other organizations.”

According to a LiveMint report, the bandh has received support from Waman Meshram, the national convener of Bahujan Kranti Morcha, along with the National Parivartan Morcha, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Bahujan Kranti Morcha and its affiliated organisations.

Saharanpur District President of the Bahujan Mukti Party (BMP), Neeraj Dhiman was quoted by the DNA as saying that the Bharat Bandh on May 25 has gathered the support of their party, whose acting state president DP Singh has urged the people to make it successful.

What are the key demands of this Bharat bandh?

The Bharat Bandh has been called demanding a caste census across the country. Some other demands will also be raised which includes non-use of EVMs in elections, caste census, providing reservation to SC, ST and OBC in the private sector, guaranteeing MSP to farmers and demanding non-implementation of CAA and NRC, resuming the Old Pension Scheme.

What’s open and what’s shut today?

Daily life is unlikely to get affected as neither trade and transport unions, nor banking, and education sectors have announced closure of services. It is being reported that the national capital is likely to see less impact of the strike and states such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh may see some disruptions.

The BMP has urged people and businesses to shut down on May 25 to participate in the bandh, so it is likely that shops or offices will be closed.

However, government and private offices in the country are expected to function as per usual, and public transportation such as buses, local trains, metro, Uber, Ola, auto-rickshaws, and others are expected to work normally.

Schools have not been instructed to close down and will be functioning normally. It is likely that the functioning of local markets might be affected, depending on who chooses to participate in the bandh.

Read all the Latest India News here