Maharashtra farmers converge in Mumbai for protest

Azad Maidan in south Mumbai turned into a sea of red on Monday morning as tens of thousands of farmers, carrying red flags, converged here after walking around 180 km under blazing sun from Nashik to Mumbai over the last six days.

Wary of the potential ramifications as the farmers prepared to lay 'seige' on the Maharashtra Legislature on Monday afternoon, the state government hurriedly formed a high-powered six-member Ministerial Committee to discuss all issues with the peasants.

The farmers are pressing demands for an unconditional loan waiver, and transfer of forest land to tribal farmers who have been tilling it for years. They reached Azad Maidan on Monday, after camping at KJ Somaiya Ground in Sion area in East-Central Mumbai. The CPI(M)-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha, which is spearheading the protest, said it will consider what the government has to offer. AIKS Maharashtra President Ashok Dhawale pointed out that the crisis in the farmlands is very severe with "over 400,000 farmers committing suicides in the past 25 years". "Agrarian distress is linked to malnutrition... The farming community is feeling betrayed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre," Dhawale said.

Tribals from Thane district have joined the farmers from Nashik district in the protest. Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan, who welcomed the march at Mulund in suburban Mumbai yesterday, said the government, which has met earlier demands by farmers, will consider their latest ones.

The opposition Congress, NCP, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and also Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led ruling alliance in the state, have extended support to the farmers' demands. Congress President Rahul Gandhi said “This is not an issue of Maharashtra farmers alone but of farmers all over India.” Congress leaders including state chief Ashok Chavan, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Prithviraj Chavan, and the Nationalist Congress Party's President Sharad Pawar and Dhananjay Munde and Jitendra Awhad declared support to the marchers.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and Yuva Sena President Aditya Uddhav Thackeray turned up personally to welcome the farmers on Sunday evening.

In November last year, the state government announced a farm loan waiver, terming it the "biggest loan waiver in Maharashtra's history". Last month, state Governor Vidyasagar Rao told the state legislature that the government has transferred over ₹12,000 crore into bank accounts of 31 lakh farmers.

Farmers also want the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission report, which says farmers should be paid one-and-a-half times the cost of production and the Minimum Support Price should be fixed keeping this in mind.

While there is no likelihood of all farmers being allowed to proceed to the Assembly complex from Azad Maidan, a delegation of farmer leaders will reportedly be allowed to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Farmers march through night to avoid inconveniencing students appearing for exams on Monday

Organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), the farmers wing of Communist Party of India-Marxist, the farmers sporting red caps, red flags, beating drums and cymbals and the tribal blowing instrument 'tarpa', marched in disciplined unity as the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena braced itself for the political fallout of the peasant power.

‘In a considerate gesture, the farmers abandoned their night's rest, to march from the Somaiya Grounds, Vidyavihar starting 2 am (Monday) to reach the historic Azad Maidan at dawn, to avoid inconveniencing students appearing for the ongoing board examinations.

With agency inputs.