All India Kisan Sabha Calls off 180km Long Kisan March from Nasik to Mumbai after State Govt’s Assurance – The Indian Wire

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) backed by CPI(M) on Thursday called off their 180 KM long March from Nasik to Mumbai after State Government held three and hour-long talks with the Farmers’ Association. State Ministers Girish Mahajan and Jaykumar Rawal held discussions with AIKS on behalf of Devendra Fadnavis led State government.

‘The meeting (held Thursday) yielded positive results. We will suspend the march,” AIKS president Ashok Dhawale told PTI after the meeting between the two sides at Ambebahula village in Nashik.

In a late night meeting with State Ministers, AIKS had asked the government to give its assurances in writing, a demand Minister Girish Mahajan agreed to. AIKS Delegation had on February 17 held the first round of parleys with Maharashtra Government days before the launch of 180 KM Long March.

The meeting was also attended by the CPI(M) MLA JP Gavit. Ashok Dhawale said that ministers have given in written that government along with AIKS Delegation will take stock of the implementation of assurances every two months.

Such meetings did not happen over the past year. Now, they have given it in writing that these meetings will be held to review the progress of implementation,” Dhawale added.
The Farmers led by AIKS embarked on the march on Thursday but it was called off later.

Earlier, they had planned to launch the march on Wednesday, Feb 20 but it was deferred by a day allegedly after the state police stopped scores of farmers approaching Nashik from districts like Thane, Palghar and Ahmednagar.

Earlier, AIKS announced the participation of 50,000 farmers from 23 districts of Maharashtra.

Their demands include a waiver of farm loans, demand for providing minimum support price, providing provisions of providing pensions to farmers, revision of water linking agreement, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations and transfer of forest land to tribals.

Previously, in another protest organized by AIKS, last year, it is speculated that more than 30,000 farmers participated. However, that protest was also called after State Government gave a written assurance. But nothing happened.