Farmer outfits in Maharashtra to protest in solidarity

The left-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and the Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) might be spearheading a giant agitation on Thursday to protest towards the Centre and the Delhi Police’s ‘repressive actions’ towards farmers protesting the contentious farm legal guidelines.

“This agitation will be a jolt to the Centre. A number of farmer and labour outfits will be joining the protests… We will be staging rasta rokos (roadblocks) across Maharashtra in solidarity of our protesting colleagues in Delhi,” mentioned Dr. Ajit Nawale, State Secretary, AIKS, including that the choice to maintain a State-wide protest on Thursday had been taken after a gathering of the ‘All India Farmers’ Struggle Coordinating Committee.’

This is one other step to intensify the continued nationwide agitation towards the anti-farmer insurance policies of the Central authorities, mentioned Dr. Nawale.

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“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Centre is clearly trying to suppress the ongoing farmers’ agitation at the Delhi border. The police are harassing protesters by lobbing tear gas, spraying water-cannons on the farmers and arresting farmers’ leaders. Despite this, thousands of farmers have been defiantly protesting on the Delhi border for the last four days. Hence, our agitation is to ramp up the pressure on the indifferent Modi government to force them to repeal anti-farmer laws,” he mentioned.

The agitation is to comprise a ‘grand march’ on each District Collectorate and tehsil workplace in Maharashtra, together with the blocking of roads.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shetti’s SSS activists already staged a sequence of avenue protests in western Maharashtra and sure districts of Marathwada. In Sangli, a quick melee broke out between a gaggle of SSS activists and police personnel.

“We will not allow any Union Minister to set foot in Maharashtra unless the Central government seriously addresses the concerns of farmers. With the rushed passage of these new ‘anti-farmer’ laws, the tillers of the soil are more vulnerable to corporate caprice and big business,” Mr. Shetti mentioned.

Congress agitation

The State Congress unit has introduced its assist for the farmer’s agitation by staging a parallel State-wide protest of their very own.

“Farmers across the country are outraged by the oppressive agriculture laws imposed by the Centre. The farmers have reached Delhi demanding their repeal and will not back down till the demands are met. The Congress party will hold a State-wide agitation on Thursday in support,” mentioned Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief and State Revenue Minister, Balasaheb Thorat.

Mr. Thorat mentioned the Congress had been opposing the anti-farmer legal guidelines of the BJP authorities from the very starting, holding tractor rallies and signature campaigns in the final two months.

“While the BJP is saying that these laws are in the interest of the farmers, it is obvious from the protests that farmers think otherwise. They have no belief in the BJP’s rhetoric and its deeds,” he mentioned.