mumbai

Updated: Jul 18, 2017 10:16 IST

A row has erupted over remarks reportedly made by Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Madhav Bhandari regarding a strike called by farmers on Thursday.

A section of farmers from Ahmednagar had threatened to stop supplying milk, fruits, poultry and vegetables to Mumbai and other cities, until their demands were met.

On Wednesday, Bhandari reportedly said the state government “stood to lose nothing” if farmers went on strike. He added that the strike would only affect farmers themselves. “The farmers will incur losses if they store grains and do not sell them,” he said.

State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said Bhandari’s remarks reflected the BJP’s “anti-farmer” stance.

“Farmers went on strike owing to the unprecedented situation. Our country needs farmers, even if the BJP doesn’t The whole of Maharashtra belongs to them,” he said.

Sawant said farmers were in opposition to the BJP’s ‘Samvad Yatra’, which indicated the party’s faltering position in the country.