Maha bandh highlights: Govt misusing police, GST administrations, says BJP

Shops in Pali Naka area of Bandra remained open for business on Monday despite the Maharashtra bandh called by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Jagdish Jain, a stationery shop owner from the area told Hindustan Times shopkeepers have decided to keep shops open, adding that “No-one has forced us or asked us to keep shops shut and we have also decided to not keep it shut. We respect the cause of farmers but at the same time it is all poltics. We are asked to remain shut but e-commerce website continue to sell goods. So, we are losing out business. If it is bandh, it should be for both online and offline businesses.”

“This is the state sponsored bandh imposed and implemented with the help of administration. The traders and businessmen and their unions are being threatened to participate in it. The ruling parties are misusing police and GST administrations to impose bandh," says Maharashtra's leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chandrakant Patil on Monday said the ruling parties in the state—the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress—are “trying to reap political mileage” by giving the call for the Maharashtra bandh as the shutdown was observed to protest the killing of four farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district. Read More

Members of Kirti Kisan Union threw paddy stubble at the Mini Secretariat today and protested against Punjab and central government on Monday.

Petrol pumps in Worli, Dadar and Matunga that usually see long lines of commuters and cabs for CNG, are empty today. Natraj market which is one of the biggest retail shopping centre in Mumbai's western suburbs is also shut. 

"All the major political parties, organizations and labour unions have supported the Maharashtra bandh. Our bandh is successful. We have been making appeals to avoid any sort of violence," says NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik.

Workers from all the three ruling parties — Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress — holding a joint protest at Sanvidhan Chowk at Nagpur.

Shop closed at Dadar during the strike called by Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi in Mumbai. 

Hindmata market, one of the biggest cloth market fully closed. Similarly all shops at Lalbaug, Parel and Dadar closed. In Navi Mumbai and Nashik, APMC markets are completely shut. 

Local train services in Mumbai were unaffected till now, informs officials amid the complete shutdown call.

Eight BEST buses vandalised since last night in Mumbai. We have sought police protection for operating services and currently very few buses have been operated since morning, says BEST Spokesperson.

Congress to do maun vrat andolan outside Raj Bhavan at 11 am to protest killing of farmers in Lakhimkheri Kheri. Maharashtra state unit chief Nana Patole to lead the agitation.

BJP has opposed the Maharashtra bandh announced by the ruling parties. BJP leader Ashish Shelar said, "Sena has always opposed the development. They had indirectly supported the mill workers strike in 1980s, opposed key development projects including airports in Navi Mumbai, Sindhudurg, coastal road and now observing bandh when people are distressed because of Covid lockdown," he said.

Shiv Sena workers staged ‘rasta roko' (block the road) on Pune -Bengluru national highway in Kolhapur as part of the Maharashtra bandh call given by three ruling parties. Sena workers were detained by the police.

Streets were deserted as the shutdown came into effect on Monday. 

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Market Yard traders’ association has also announced that all the fruit, vegetable, onion, potato markets will remain closed on Monday. The traders’ union has also appealed to all the members to support the shutdown by keeping their trade closed on Monday. They have appealed to the farmers not to bring their agricultural produce to the market on Monday.

In view of the bandh, security arrangements have been heightened in the state's capital city of Mumbai. The police on Sunday said that strict patrolling will be held to ensure no untoward incident takes place. Striking reserves will also be deployed at strategic points, with three companies of Maharashtra state reserve police force (SRPF), 500 Home Guards and 700 men from Local Arms units, news agencies reported quoting police.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned the Maharashtra bandh decision and the leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said that the ruling parties are politicising the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Read More

The Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) in Maharashtra has objected to the bandh on Monday. The traders' union in a statement on Sunday said they were limping back to business after eighteen months of lockdowns amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the bandh would hit their earnings.