The call for a State-wide bandh issued by a new farmers’ faction within the Kisan Kranti Morcha on Monday received lukewarm response as the flow of milk and vegetable supplies remained largely unaffected in most parts of Maharashtra. But the farmers claimed the bandh was “a resounding success.”
Barring Ahmednagar, Kolhapur and Nashik districts, the shutdown came a cropper in urban centres like Mumbai and Pune. Police was deployed in large numbers to prevent untoward incidents. The Nashik ‘core committee’ has called for a meeting in Mumbai on June 7. A final decision on the agitation on June 8 will be taken at a State-level conclave to be held in the district.
Political entities such as the Shiv Sena, Raju Shetti’s Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (both allies of the ruling BJP) and the Sambhaji Brigade threw their weight behind the bandh. Nashik witnessed agitations against the BJP government. Nineteen wholesale markets in the district were shut.
In Ahmednagar district, the shutdown affected milk and vegetable supplies. In Rahuri, there were reports of agitators torching a milk container truck on Sunday night. In Kolhapur district, activists of the Swabhimani Paksha attempted to shut down marketplaces and dairies while Shiv Sena activists staged a demonstration along the Pune-Bengaluru highway. There were reports of Swabhimani activists clashing with traders who refused to support the shutdown. The activists also disrupted the livestock bazaar in the district’s Peth-Vadgaon area.
Widening split
In the Marathwada region, Beed and Hingoli were also hit by the shutdown. The increasingly widening split within the core committee leading the statewide farmers’ agitation led to farmers being unsure about supporting the agitation as it had been called off on Saturday. This resulted in prices of vegetables and fruits remaining high in Pune and Mumbai, despite the flow of supplies.
In Pune, market committee sources that it would take 72 hours for prices to stabilise; prices in the retail market continued to remain 30% higher than average with onions selling at Rs. 30 a kilo and tomato at ₹60 a kilo. The Gultekdi market yard reported arrival of 90% of vegetables. “The shutdown has not really affected business. Most market committees have decided not to join the bandh,” said Dilip Khaire, secretary, Pune APMC.
