Maharashtra Bandh today: The Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra has called for a state-wide bandh on October 11 in protest against Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh on October 3rd that claimed the lives of at least eight people including 4 farmers.
All three coalition partners Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress appealed to the people to wholeheartedly support Maharashtra Bandh.
Maharashtra: Maha Vikas Aghadi that comprises of Congress, Shiv Sena, and NCP has called for a statewide bandh today in protest against the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that claimed the lives of 8 people including 4 farmers
— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2021
Visuals from Bandra Reclamation area in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/57yOFikZLv
BEST Spokesperson said eight of their BEST buses were vandalised in Mumbai since last night and that they have sought police protection for operating services. The spokesperson informed that currently few buses have been operated since morning.
Maharashtra: BEST says eight of its buses were vandalised in different areas of Mumbai between midnight and 8 am today; seeks police protection
— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2021
Maharashtra Bandh: Key Highlights
•Maharashtra Bandh is not a state-government-sponsored bandh but the ruling parties under the Maha Vikas Aghadi have called for it. The state-wide bandh started from midnight on October 11.
•NCP leader and state minister Nawab Malik said on October 10 that whether to operate railway or BEST buses has to be decided by their administrations. He said that we expect the people to participate in this on their own as it is in support of farmers and against the BJP rule at the Centre.
•Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that the workers of the party would observe "maun vrat" outside the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai to register their protest.
•Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that his party will participate in the Maharashtra bandh with full force. He said it was necessary to wake people up against the Centre’s anti-farmer policies.
•The Kisan Sabha extended its support to the bandh and assured cooperation of its workers in 21 districts of the state.
•Several trade organisations in Pune extended their support to the bandh. All shops except those dealing in essential items will be closed till 3 pm in Pune, announced Federation of Trade Association of Pune (FTAP) president Fattechand Ranka.
•Besides this, around 2,000 traders dealing in fruits, vegetables, grains, flowers, onions and potatoes also extended their support to the bandh.
•The MVA, however, assured no disruption in essential services during the bandh.
Transport Services affectedTransport services have been affected though in the state with city transport buses shut in most of the cities with employees union in these bodies supporting the bandh. Rickshaw union also decided not to ply their vehicles during the bandh. Some of the auto and taxi unions have also kept their services shut in many leading cities including Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan Dombivali in MMR. The local train service were operational in the morning. |
Former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan tweeted, "With today’s #MaharashtraBandh we stand together in solidarity with farmers of this country. Unjust Farm Laws have caused more than 600 deaths in the last year. The Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre was a well-planned incident to silence the opposition voice by mowing them down."
With today’s #MaharashtraBandh we stand together in solidarity with farmers of this country. Unjust #FarmLaws have caused more than 600 deaths in the last one year. The #LakhimpurKheriMassacre was a well planned incident to silence the opposition voice by mowing them down.
— Prithviraj Chavan (@prithvrj) October 11, 2021
Opposition condemns Maharashtra Bandh
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) condemned the Maharashtra bandh decision and demanded that it should be withdrawn as it was causing inconvenience to the people. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said that the ruling parties are politicizing the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said, “We are not justifying the atrocities against the farmers, but our only question is why Shiv Sena and NCP parliamentarians did not oppose the farm bills when they were being passed." He slammed the ruling coalition saying that it was misusing its power.
What happened in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3rd?Over a dozen people were injured and at least eight people were killed including four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh when some protestors were run over by vehicles ahead of the visit of UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) informed that four farmers were killed in the incident and alleged that Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra's son was in one of the vehicles. The farmers' organisation demanded a probe into the incident by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court. Ajay Kumar Mishra, however, refuted SKM's allegations and said that his son was not present during the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. The UP police has reportedly taken Ashish Mishra in custody for questioning. |
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