The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has called a Bharat Bandh on Friday, February 26, to mark their protest against the skyrocketing diesel and petrol prices, "draconian" rules of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and E-Way Bill. In a statement, the CAIT said that almost all the commercial markets across India will remain shut on Friday. The call for the bandh has received support from nearly 40,000 trade associations from across the country, it said.

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The All India Transporters Welfare Association (AITWA) is also supporting the bandh and has vowed to hold a 'chakka jam'. In a tweet on Friday, CAIT, India’s apex trade body, said the eight crore traders and 1 crore transporters were prepared to take part in the day-long protest. It demanded the government "simplify GST and stop tax terrorism".

What remains closed today:

a) All commercial markets to remain shut.

b) Even the private transport facilities are likely to take the hit as the AITWA has asked all transport companies to park their vehicles between 6 AM and 8 PM.

c) Movement and bookings of bill-oriented goods likely to be hit.

d) Sit-in protests at roughly 1,500 spots across the country.

e) Over 30 lakh roads to remain closed on Friday.

f) Associations of Chartered Accountants and tax advocates have also lent support to the call for Bharat Bandh and they, too, are expected to remain unavailable for the day.

g) The CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said women entrepreneurs, small industries, hawkers, among others, will also join Friday's bandh.

h) Traders have decided not to log into the GST portal on Friday to mark their protest against the law.

Despite a bandh on such a large scale, essential services, medical shops, milk, vegetable shops, etc won't get affected.

Banks are also expected to function normally.

Among others, several farm organisations currently demonstrating against the new farm laws decided to extend support to ‘Bharat Bandh’, according to Hindustan Times.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has urged all the farmers to join the Friday bandh peacefully. Farmers’ bodies support traders who are facing hardships due to GST and rising fuel prices, Farm leader Dr Darshan Pal said.