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Opposition calls for Pune bandh on Tuesday
The protest has been called to condemn Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for an earlier statement referring to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Opposition parties and various organisations have called a ‘Pune bandh’ on Tuesday, December 13, to condemn Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for an earlier statement referring to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. As a mark of the protest, a silent march will be held from the Sambhaji Maharaj statue at Deccan gymkhana to Lal Mahal Tuesday morning.
Shivaji Maharaj’s descendant and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Udayanraje Bhosale, Sambhaji Raje, opposition leader Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare, several Congress leaders and leaders of various other political parties will participate in the silent march and public rally to be held near Lal Mahal. With the morcha to pass through the main market areas and traders, too, having extended their support to the bandh, there will be strict police bandobast.
A statement issued by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) city unit president Prashant Jagtap and Congress city unit president Arvind Shinde reads, “Almost all political parties, various religious groups, traders, auto unions and social organisations have extended their support to the bandh and are joining the silent march.” Whereas Udayanraje Bhosale has urged citizens on social media to participate in the silent march.
Earlier, Koshyari’s statement in which he referred to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj invited the ire of several political outfits and organisations. While all political parties have extended their support to the bandh, there is no official declaration about schools which has led to confusion amongst the school authorities. Parents are confused too as some school transport operators have already conveyed the message about the bandh to them. After Pune, a Mumbai bandh has also been called and all opposition parties have lent their support to the bandh.
