Dissatisfied by Maharashtra govt’s assurances, sea of farmers converge in Nashik for protest march | The Indian Express
Over 10,000 farmers on Wednesday reached Nashik to take part in the All India Kisan Sabha’s (AIKS) second ‘long march’ to Mumbai. The protest march which will start on Thursday morning was earlier scheduled to take place today. The police had yesterday refused to grant permission for the same. The agitating farmers have been seeking farm loan waiver, minimum support price, irrigation facilities and pension, among other demands.
Former Nashik MP and NCP leader Sameer Bhujbal also turned up to show solidarity with the protesting farmers, as they gathered in the evening. As per state police estimates, around 7,500 people have so far turned up for the farmers’ protest.
The protesters, most of them tribals, landless labourers and small farmers, converged in Nashik from areas like Peint, Trimbakeshwar, Kalwan, Palghar and adjoining areas.
Most of these farmers came in rickety vehicles which were loaded with provisions including rice, flour, oil and salt in anticipation of the long march that they are planning to undertake to Mumbai.
The participants of the march arrived in Nashik in small contingents. Majority of them got off their vehicles in which they had come and marched around 8-15 Kms into Nashik to reach the starting point of the long march.
Many of the participants are people who took part in the first long march that was organized last year.
“I had walked last year all the way to Mumbai. I was pretty ill throughout the journey and walking for this long does take a toll on your body. I have decided to participate in this protest because if I do not do this now, my future generations will have to live in the same way that I have for so many years,” Ganpat Damu Kunwar, a landless farmer from Nashik district said. Kunwar presently cultivates an acre of land in Ravalgaon village which he does not own.
Kunwar has pinned his hope on the effective implementation of the Forest Right Act which could provide him with a land title. Many of the participating farmers complained that in spite of the state government’s assurances that were given after the first long march, things had not changed much on the ground.
“The government has given us assurances to meet our demands. However, it seems that it has not passed on these orders down to the bureaucracy which continues to behave in an indifferent way towards our questions,” Chabu Gavit, a resident of Surgana said.
The Nashik Police had yesterday denied permission for the long march till Mumbai and had told the organizers that they could only hold a sit-in protest.
