New Delhi, Dec 7 (IANS): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday extended support to the farmers' 'Bharat Bandh' call and assured that his party workers and supporters would participate in the 'peaceful' protest.
Kejriwal made the announcement while visiting the Singhu border at the Delhi-Haryana route -- one of the protest sites where thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana are on continuous sit-in since November 26 demanding the abolition of the three contentious farm laws enacted in September during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
It was Kejriwal's first visit to any of the farmer protest sites.
During his visit, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor said, "My government's and party's support is with the protesting farmers".
Asked if AAP will support Bharat Bandh, Kejriwal said: "AAP supports farmers' Bharat Bandh call. All AAP supporters will participate in the nationwide protest. I hope that the protest will be held peacefully across the country. I appeal to all the countrymen to participate in the bandh call."
Kejriwal said he visited the protest site as a 'Sewadar' (servant).
"I have not come here as the Chief Minister. Farmers serve us by doing hard work round the clock. The farmers are in trouble today. It is our duty to support them at this moment. I have come here to take stock of all the facilities like the water supply, sanitisation," the Delhi Chief Minister said.
He further said the AAP supporters and MLAs were continuously trying to provide maximum help to the farmers here and expressed hope that the farmers would get solution to their demands very soon.
The Chief Minister mentioned how he rejected the Central government's offer to provide them nine Delhi stadiums to turn them into makeshift jails so that the farmers could be put there.
Farmer representatives from around 40 unions have announced a "peaceful Bharat Bandh" on December 8.
Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Tamil Nadu and a joint platform of 10 central trade unions have so far extended their support to the call, which was made public after the fifth round of the government-farmer talks remained inconclusive with both sides adamant on their positions.