The ‘Maharashtra bandh’ called by the farmers on the fifth day of their agitation evoked good response on Monday, with many APMC markets and regular markets outside Mumbai and other major cities remaining closed and milk, fruits and vegetable supplies continue to be affected in many parts of the State.
On a day when the agitation took a violent turn at many places across the State, the ruling Shiv Sena — which has consistently been demanding waiver of farm loans and had come in open support of farmers on the day one of their agitation — once again threw its weight behind the agitating farmers and even justified the acts of violence indulged in by the protesters.
In a statement issued here, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said, “The State Government should learn lessons from the tremendous response that farmers’ agitation is evoking all over the State. At some places, we are witnessing violence. The State Government should consider this not as violence but the eruption of pangs of hunger suffered by farmers. Given the kind of unity we are witnessing among farmers, I am sure that the agitation will not end till such time the State Government announces a farm loan waiver and remunerative prices for their produce”.
Apart from the ruling Shiv Sena, the Opposition Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Peasants and Workers Party, left parties, various trade unions, NGOs, affiliated organisations and farmers groups are supporting the agitation.
The agitating farmers resorted to “rasta rokos” at many places, with the protesters blocking the trucks carrying milk, poultry products and vegetables to Mumbai and other urban areas of the State. So much so that the agitators climbed the stranded trucks and threw onto roads milk and vegetables . Incidents of arsons were witnessed at many places in Ahmednagar in western Maharashtra which is the epi-centre of agitation.
The protesters carried out a symbolic funeral procession of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Devargaon, Vandagalli and Mahalsakore in Nashik district in protest against the State Government’s failure to look into their various demands, including farm loan waiver, remunerative prices for their produce and pension for them after 60 years of age. At a few places, the farmers burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister.
The farmers’ agitation evoked maximum response in north Maharashtra, Marathwada and most parts of western Maharashtra and eastern Maharashtra. The farmers made bonfire of onion stocks in places like Chandrapur, Dhule, latur, Bhandara, Hingoli, and Satara while farmers in Yavatmal districts resorted to mass-tonsure in protest against the Government’s apathy towards agrarian crisis.
In Kalamb tehsil of Osmanabad district, agitating farmers damaged three State-run MSRTC buses through stone-throwing. The farmers in Vaijapur tehsil of Aurangabad district resorted to a peaceful protest by resorting to “bhajan” in protest against the State Government.
The vehicular traffic on various roads across the State, including Nagpur-Tuljapur State highway, Niphad-Chandvad road were affected. In Osmanabad district, farmers resorted to a novel ‘topless’ protest by removing their shirts and kurtas and squatting in markets and roads sporting their dhotis and pyjamas.
The APMC markets remained closed for the fifth consecutive day in many districts of the State.