Maharashtra Bandh update: Shiv Sena leader Udhav Thackeray said that although the court has called for withdrawing the bandh, ‘it cannot suppress’ their voice.
NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, and other leaders from Maha Vikas Aghadi continue to protest against the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl at a Badlapur school.
“Even the court stopped our bandh, but it cannot suppress our voice,”says Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray.
The BJP Maharashtra Mahila Morcha protested against the MVA, and claimed that the leaders were politcising the Badlapur sexual assault case. "Today, we are here to show the incidents that have taken place during their tenure and to show what they did... This is a conspiracy to malign Maharashtra, but the people will not let them do this...The govt is in action mode," Chitra Kishor Wagh, the Mahila Morcha president, was quoted as saying by ANI.
"There is no day in Maharashtra when there is no news of atrocities against women ... The government should take this incident seriously, the government is saying that the opposition is doing politics, calling it politics shows how insensitive the government is," said Sharad Pawar.
Maha Vikas Aghadi(MVA) party leaders, along with NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, tied black bands on their arms to protest against the Badlapur case, where the minor school girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a cleaner of the school.
Congress's Vijay Wadettiwar condemned the law and order situation in the state. “ Despite people's agitation if such incidents continue to happen in the state, it shows that there is no control over crime in the state. Criminals don't have any fear,” said the Congress leader, reported ANI.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said the bandh has been withdranwn, but protests would continue. “Today at 11 am, Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena will protest. Efforts are being made to suppress our voice but our fight will continue,” Raut told ANI.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi withdrew its call for a Maharashtra bandh following the Bombay High Court ruling. Opposition leaders and workers in the coastal state will now hold peaceful demonstrations and tie black bands around their mouth to protest against the Badlapur school sexual abuse case.
“We have called off August 24 Maharashtra bandh but opposition leaders will protest with black bands around their mouth. We don’t agree with the Bombay High Court order on bandh,” confirmed Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
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