Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has said that his party would observe “maun vrat” (vow of silence) outside the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai protesting against the deaths.
Several organizations have extended support to the bandh. The Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) also said in a press statement that it has decided to keep shops shut till 4 pm in support of the bandh called by the ruling coalition. Security has been tightened in the state ahead of the shutdown and patrolling will be intensified for the bandh.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has announced a bandh all over Maharashtra on October 11. They have called the bandh to protest against the Lakhimpur Kheri violence which claimed the lives of eight people, among which four were farmers.
The announcement was made by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state president Jayant Patil. The state cabinet earlier in the day expressed its condolences over the “unfortunate” death of farmers. “NCP has called for a Maharashtra Bandh to protest the attack on farmers at Lakhimpur Khiri in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Jayant_R_Patil told the media,” the tweet read.
The MVA facing criticism from the Maharashtra Bhartiya Janta Party over the lack of relief package for flood-affected farmers in Central Maharashtra and Vidarbha regions, in a counter attack to the Maharashtra BJP, the MVA is trying to corner them with Lakhimpur incident.
The decision came a day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar compared the mowing of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri to the Jallianwala Bagh. Pawar also called the BJP government insensitive. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the issue in New Delhi on Tuesday.
“To condemn the incident where farmers were crushed to death in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, Maharashtra will observe a day’s bandh. The cabinet too expressed condolence over the incident. It is extremely important to condemn the cruelty of the BJP or its state governments against the farmers and to scuttle the farmers’ protests at several places. So far, the accused have not been nabbed yet,” said Patil, who was flanked by Congress’ Balasaheb Thorat and Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde.
He added that MVA allies Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress along with the smaller parties in the alliance have decided to hold this band. “The bandh will be observed the entire day, barring essential services such as hospitals, ambulances, milk supply, etc,” Patil added.
The opposition reacting to the one day bandh said the MVA is attempting to politicise the Lakhimpur incident for their benefit, “Condemning the [Lakhimpur Kheri] incident is fine but had the cabinet thought about the farmers in Maharashtra, who are affected by the flood, then it would have been better. But instead of thinking of the farmers, such a proposal was passed, which is nothing but opportunism. It reeks of politics,” he said.
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