AHMEDABAD: Hundreds of farmers from across Gujarat took out a tractor rally, 'Kisan Adhikar Yatra' from Shantipura Chowkdi in Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar in a show of protest against land acquisition practices and growing agrarian distress.
The protesting farmers said their struggle was not only about protecting agricultural land but also about safeguarding the future of farming in the state.
The yatra, organised jointly by the Congress and several farmers' organisations, brought together cultivators who alleged that agricultural land was being used for electricity transmission infrastructure without adequate consultation or compensation. Protesters demanded a comprehensive farm loan waiver, full implementation of the Minimum Support Price (MSP), protection of land rights and compensation for crop losses caused during the installation of electricity poles.
A farmers' convention was scheduled in Gandhinagar following the rally, where organisers planned to consolidate support and press for immediate government intervention.
Congress MLA Tushar Chaudhary said farmers were grappling with multiple unresolved issues and accused private power companies of entering agricultural fields to erect electricity poles without securing the consent of landowners.
"Farmers are demanding debt relief, full MSP for their produce and an end to the indiscriminate installation of electricity poles in their fields. Landowners must be consulted and fairly compensated before any such work is undertaken," Chaudhary added.
Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda alleged that farmers were facing increasing hardship despite repeated assurances aimed at improving their economic condition.
"Farmers were promised that their income would double, but today they are dealing with forced installation of electricity poles, crop losses and inadequate compensation. When they protest, they face police action, and there are allegations of harassment even against women," Chavda said.
He claimed that the challenges confronting farmers extended beyond land-related disputes. According to him, cultivators were also struggling with shortages of fertilisers, the circulation of fake seeds, rising inflation, faulty land measurements and inadequate irrigation facilities.
"Instead of addressing these concerns, there are attempts to forcibly take away farmers' land," he alleged.
Kisan Congress president Pal Amblia accused the administration of irregularities in land acquisition and procurement processes. He claimed that farmers were not receiving remunerative prices for their produce and were burdened by rising input costs and the proliferation of counterfeit agricultural products.
"There have been irregularities in support price for procurement, while land acquisition has become a source of injustice. Farmers allege that influential interests receive higher compensation, whereas ordinary cultivators get only a fraction of their land's value," Amblia said.
He further alleged that power companies were carrying out work in agricultural fields under police protection while bypassing established procedures, creating resentment among farmers.
Maintaining that previous agitations had failed to elicit a response from the government, Chavda said the movement would continue until farmers' demands were addressed.
"The Congress and various farmers' organisations will continue to fight for the rights of cultivators. This struggle will not end until justice is delivered," he said.
The protest received additional political backing after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joined the rally. State AAP president Isudan Gadhvi described the agitation as a broader farmers' movement rather than a partisan campaign.
"This is a movement for farmers, and we stand with them. The fight is for the rights and dignity of cultivators, and we will extend our full support to this campaign," Gadhvi said.
