Bharat Bandh on 21 August: Know what is open and closed on nationwide strike tomorrow; check details

The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has declared a Bharat Bandh on August 21 in protest of the Supreme Court's verdict on SC/ST reservations. The SC/ST groups in Rajasthan have expressed their support for the bandh.

Bharat Bandh has also got the support of Bahujan Samaj Party. For this, the party has asked small and big workers to be a part of 'Bharat Bandh'. Bharat Bandh is also trending on social media. 

Let us tell you the whole matter due to which Bharat Bandh has been called. Also, what will be open and closed tomorrow? 

Why is Bharat Bandh tomorrow?

On August 1, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court made a major decision on the reservation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Supreme Court said that states have the right to make Quota within Quota Judgment for reservation, that is, state governments can make sub-categories for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories. Along with this, the Supreme Court had also said that the principle of creamy layer applies to Scheduled Castes in the same way as it applies to OBCs. Many leaders including BSP supremo Mayawati are opposing this decision of the court.

Having a quota within a quota means implementing a separate reservation system within the already allotted percentage of reservation so that the benefits of reservation reach the needy people who are often neglected it. In 2004, the decision given by the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in the case related to EV Chinnaiah vs Andhra Pradesh Government was opposite to this. Then the Supreme Court had said that state governments cannot create sub-categories of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for job reservation. With this decision, the Supreme Court has overturned its earlier decision of 2004.

The national coordinator of the Bahujan Samaj Party Akash Anand wrote:

आरक्षण पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट के फैसले के खिलाफ SC/ST समाज में काफी गुस्सा है।

फैसले के विरोध में हमारे समाज ने 21 अगस्त को भारत बंद का आह्वान किया है।

हमारा समाज शांतिप्रिय समाज है। हम सबका सहयोग करते हैं। सबके सुख-दुख में हमारा समाज शामिल होता है। लेकिन आज हमारी आजादी पर हमला किया…

— Akash Anand (@AnandAkash_BSP) August 19, 2024

Bharat Bandh tomorrow: What will be open?

    • Ambulance services, emergency, hospitals and medical services      
    • Police services   
    • Pharmacies 

Besides, government offices, banks, schools, and colleges will also remained open.