PUNE/NASHIK: Farmers' organisations have resolved to go ahead with their planned state-wide bandh on Monday to push their demands which include a complete loan waiver to all farmers. These groups have rejected the decision of the Puntamba farmers' core committee to withdraw the strike after discussions the latter had with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday.

Various farmers' organisations held separate meetings in Nashik, Ahmednagar and Sangli and decided to go ahead with the bandh as had been announced last week.The NCP , Congress and BJP's allies Shiv Sena and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana have supported the bandh. Even as the farmers' agitation continued in parts of Marathwada, western and northern Maharashtra, the flow of vegetables and milk to cities including Pune and Mumbai increased on Sunday as compared to the previous two days.

While the farmers' organisations claimed that the supply had gone up because members of their community were confused about the strike withdrawal by the core committee, ministers in state cabinet claimed that the farmers had actually withdrawn their strike and things were back to normal.

On Sunday, farmers intensified their agitation by burning effigies of Fadnavis and minister of state for agriculture Sada Khot. They also continued to turn back vehicles bringing vegetables and milk tankers. Most weekly local markets in western Maharashtra and Marathwada and parts of Nashik remained closed on the day.

Leaders organising the bandh sought to assure that the farmers would not indulge in violence during Monday's bandh.

As per an earlier announcement made by the farmers' core committee, the bandh will not include Mumbai city.
Budhajirao Mulik, one of the farmers' leaders and agriculture expert who attended the farmers' meeting at Nashik, said, "The bandh starts at midnight. Farmers will come on to the roads with their families, cattle, ploughs and tractors."
Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raghunath Patil, who addressed a farmers' meeting at Islampur in Sangli, said it would ensured that the bandh was total in the state. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and MP Raju Shetti said, "We stand by the farmers and will be part of the bandh. The state government has used stooges to deceive and misguide the farmers."