Two days after the MVA allies announced a state-wide bandh on October 11 to protest against the deaths of eight persons, including four farm protesters, in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri, the Shiv Sena on Friday said it was throwing its full weight behind the move and that the state would shut down completely on Monday.
MP Arvind Sawant, chief spokesperson of Shiv Sena and chief of Sena’s labour wing Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS), said that the party and affiliate unions would participate in the bandh.
“The farmers, who were protesting peacefully, were crushed to death. The Centre brought contentious farm law and the labour codes [of the Centre] have destroyed the lives of the labourers,” Sawant told mediapersons.
Sawant claimed that ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ was the BJP’s mantra but this was not happening in reality. “The Shiv Sena and BKS and affiliate unions will participate in the bandh called by the MVA alliance partners on October 11… To condemn all these things, there will be a complete and widespread bandh in Maharashtra,” he added.
The Sena’s announcement comes two days after NCP leader Jayant Patil, on behalf of MVA allies, gave a call for a one-day statewide bandh on October 11.
On Wednesday, the state cabinet presided over by CM Uddhav Thackeray, had passed a resolution expressing regret over the deaths in Lakhimpur Kheri. The ministers stood in silence for two minutes as a mark of respect to them.
After the cabinet meeting, Jayant Patil, Irrigation Minister and state NCP president had said, “The MVA has called a statewide bandh on October 11 against the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and appeals to people to participate in the bandh.”
