Around 30,000 drought-hit farmers and tribals from Ahmednagar, North Maharashtra, Bhusawal, Marathwada and Vidarbha are holding a two-day march from Wednesday in Mumbai, demanding the implementation of welfare measures promised by the government.
The protestors, who came to Thane on Saturday after marching from Nashik, are seeking land reforms and the implementation of the Swaminathan Committee Report which proposed a loan waiver. Other demands included allocation of cultivable land for landless peasants, a minimum support price which is 50 per cent higher than the production cost, drought compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for non-irrigated land and Rs 1 lakh per acre for irrigated land.
The march, which started at a toll plaza in Thane town to end at Somaiya Ground in Mumbai's Sion area on Wednesday, will have members affiliated to the Lok Sangharsh Morcha (LSM) and has been supported by the Maharashtra unit of Aam Admi Party, Janata Dal (Secular), Peasants and Workers Party and Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav among other activists and political factions. Magsaysay award winner Dr Rajendra Singh, also known as Waterman of India, is among the marchers.
Speaking to the New Indian Express, Tanveer Ahmed, National Spokesperson, JD(S) said, “Issues affecting farmers are present in every part of the country but they have been highly prevalent in Maharashtra for a very long time. Ever since the BJP has come into power in the state, they have failed to understand the problems especially that of sugarcane ones. This has resulted in the farmer suicide rate of Maharashtra being the highest in the country. We have always understood such issues and hence we stand with them in such movements.” He also said that the party will try bringing in the support of Congress, who has a coalition with them in the Karnataka government.
“After the state government announced the loan waiver last year, the banks are not ready to give the crop loans to the farmers. Besides, the farmers are getting less than the MSP for their produce and there is no mechanism to complain about it,” said Pratibha Shinde, General Secretary of the LSM, who is handling the protest march.
The march will continue the following day from Somaiya to Vidhan Sabha (State Legislative Assembly) and will have a rally by the LSM which is expected to be attended by Left-affiliated organisations. Shinde said they had sent around 20,000 postcards to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier this month, announcing the march.
In March this year, around 35,000 farmers from the Left-leaning All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) carried out a similar march from Nashik to Mumbai with the same demands. The protest was called off when Fadnavis assured the Kisan Sabha that "most of their demands would be accepted", but the Kisan Sabha has claimed that the promise wasn’t fulfilled.
(With inputs from PTI)