Tamil Nadu stares at shutdown as stirs line up for April 3

The bandh announced by farmers bodies with the backing of traders’ unions on April 3 is likely to hit normal life as shops and hotels and other establishments are to be shut while train services are likely to be disrupted due to blockade at many places.

During the previous bandh in 2017, petrol bunks and milk vendors too had joined the bandh call, while lorry owners also did not operate their vehicles. This time around, farmers unions announced rail blockades and political parties are expected to join them. The state government is likely to stay away from the bandh, operating buses as usual. 

It is yet to be known if the government will reschedule the Class XI public examination on that day due to the difficulties the students could face for lack of adequate transportation. 

A leading traders organisation, Forum of Traders Unions, headed by AM Vikramaraja has called for the bandh and farmers’ leaders assured that another key leader T Vellaiyan is certain to join protests to down shutters. The two bodies together control about 21 lakh shops which is about 70 per cent of the trading community in all the regions of the state. 

Though Aavin would not join the shutdown, milk supply could be affected if private vendors decide to join the bandh. During the previous bandh, they supplied milk early morning and joined the protests later. 

Owners of hotels and restaurants would join the agitation and keep their outlets shut. Cinema theatre owners too are expected to join the bandh call and announce cancellation of two shows. 

Veteran farmers’ leader Mannargudi Ranganathan, who was part of a team which filed a petition in the Supreme Court in 1971 demanding the release of Tamil Nadu’s share of water joined hands with PR Pandian and Ayyakannu to express support for the state-wide agitations. 

Addressing the media, Ranganathan welcomed the bandh call and appealed to the trader’s union headed by T Vellaiyan and political parties to protest too. He said farmers throughout the state would join the agitations and block the trains and hold protest demonstrations. 

Citing the portion of the Supreme Court verdict that ‘Cauvery Management Board may be formed’, he said the word ‘may’ has a different meaning in court language. He asserted that ‘may’ is equivalent to ‘shall’ in court language and said the court had clearly stated that the rivers do not belong to any state which also means dams across Cauvery would not be under the control of states, including Karnataka.