Bharat Bandh: DMK and Left party MPs stage protest outside Parliament

CPI MP Binoy Viswam also gave a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha over the strike called by workers across the country to "protest against the corporatisation and privatisation policies of the central government".

MPs from Left political parties and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) staged a protest outside the Gandhi statue on the Parliament premises as the two-day Bharat bandh called by central trade unions against the Centre's policies kicked off on Monday.

MPs standing in front of the Gandhi statue holding placards. (ANI)

In an image shared by news agency ANI, the MPs can be seen standing in front of the Gandhi statue holding placards.

In the ongoing session of Parliament, the CPI(M) MP Bikashranjan Bhattacharyya on Monday moved the motion for suspension of business in Rajya Sabha under Rule 267 to discuss the issue of the nationwide strike.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam also gave a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha over the strike called by workers across the country to "protest against the corporatisation and privatisation policies of the central government", ANI reported.

In Kolkata, demonstrators backed by the Left Front gathered in huge numbers and blocked railway tracks at Jadavpur Railway Station, ANI reported. Members of Left parties were also seen protesting and blocking road and rail traffic in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Bhubaneswar in Odisha, among other parts of the country.

Trade unions earlier said they were expecting crores to join the protests. According to news agency PTI, the trade unions demanded scrapping of the labour codes, no privatisation of any form, scrapping of the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), increased allocation of wages under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and regularisation of contract workers.