The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has called for a statewide bandh on Monday in protest against the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh that claimed the lives of eight people including four farmers.

"The state-wide bandh will commence from 12 midnight," NCP spokesman and state minister Nawab Malik said on Sunday. The workers of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, the three main constituent parties of the MVA, are meeting citizens with an appeal to participate in the bandh wholeheartedly and express their solidarity with farmers, he said.

"The BJP-led central government has allowed the loot of agriculture produce through the three newly-enacted farm laws and now the kin of its minister is killing farmers. We have to show solidarity with the cultivators," he said.

The MVA demands that Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra be sacked, the NCP leader added.

The Union minister's son Ashish Mishra was arrested on Saturday night by the police in Lakhimpur Kheri in connection with the October 3 violence. He was named in an FIR following allegations that he was in one of the vehicles that mowed down four farmers protesting over UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit on October 3.

Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut had on Saturday said his party would participate in the bandh with full force. He had also said that it was necessary to wake people up against the "anti-farmer" policies of the central government. The three ruling allies have made it clear that the bandh was not a state government-sponsored, but called by the parties.

The Kisan Sabha has extended support to the bandh and said its workers in 21 districts of the state are coordinating with like-minded organisations to ensure that the bandh gets a good response.

With inputs from PTI