Congress and Left parties in Jharkhand have extended their support to the farmers’ call for a nationwide chakka-jam on Saturday, February 6 to press for the repeal of the three new farm laws.

Both the Congress and the CPI announced their plans separately on Thursday. Leaders said they would hit the road in full strength to enforce a three-hour blockade of state and national highways from noon.

Addressing a press conference at the CPI office, former MP and state general secretary of the party Bhuneshwar Prasad Mehta said they held a meeting with various social and civil rights groups earlier this week to seek their support.

“Jharkhand will witness a total blockade of all national highways on February 6. The entire nation is behind farmers, who are on a protest along Delhi borders for over two months to fight for their survival and future. The farm laws must be taken back,” said Mehta.

Former MP and state CPI general secretary of CPI Bhuneshwar Prasad Mehta (centre) at a news meet in Ranchi on Thursday. Telegraph Picture

Elaborating their plans, he said the party has decided to hold peaceful blockades along highways at Booty More, Bundu and Tupudana in Ranchi, Baharagora in East Singhbhum, Nirsa and Maithon in Dhanbad, Barhi, Chouparan and Bagodar in Hazaribagh, among others. “All the six districts in Santhal Parganas will also witness a total blockade,” he said.

Congress, which is part of the ruling coalition in the state, will support Saturday’s agitation plans. “The Congress has been behind farmers right from the day the contentious farm laws were brought in by the Modi government. All party workers will be on roads on Saturday to enforce the bandh in a peaceful manner,” said party spokesperson Alok Dubey.

In the morning, state Congress president Rameshwar Oraon chaired a meeting to fine-tune the party’s activities against the new farm laws. Later, the party announced a state-level tractor rally in Hazaribagh on February 20.

The party held its first 80km-long tractor rally from Godda to Deoghar in Santhal Pargana on January 31, which it claimed was a success. More than 1,200 tractors and 10,000 people were part of the January 31 rally. “The Hazaribagh rally will be even bigger than the one we held in Santhal Parganas,” said Dubey, adding that state agriculture minister Badal Patralekh had been entrusted with the task of ensuring the success of the upcoming rally.

On Tuesday night, Badal had also met with Rakesh Tikait, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader, who emerged as a rallying figure post the Republic Day fiasco in Delhi to give fresh impetus to the ongoing protests.