Maharashtra govt is not serious over farmers’ march | Free Press Journal
Despite Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) member Jayant Patil brought attention of the Upper House towards the massive Long March organised by All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) which began from Nasik on March 6 and will reach and gherao Vidhan Bhavan on March 12, the government seem to ignore towards agrarian distress.
The march will cover a distance of 200 kilometres and farmers will move to gherao the state Assembly. Lead by kisan leaders the march will ‘denounce the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government for betraying all its assurances given to the peasantry during the last two years’ on the above issues as well as the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission and the implementation of the Forest Rights Act.
Thousands of peasant women are also part of the March and they will walk all the way of 200 Km to Mumbai. The entire area is replete with hundreds of red flags, red banners and red placards giving the demands of the March. Resounding slogans are being given condemning the BJP government’s ‘callous betrayal’ of its own assurances given to the peasantry on the issues of farm loan waiver, remunerative prices, implementation of Forest Rights Act and many others during the last two years. The Long March is being led by AIKS leaders Dr Ashok Dhawale, Vijoo Krishnan, J P Gavit, MLA, Kisan Gujar, Dr Ajit Nawale and other state office bearers.
The Long March was flagged off in a public meeting that was addressed by the above AIKS leaders, along with Meenakshi Patil, PWP leader and former state minister, Dr D L Karad, state president of CITU and Raju Desale, AITUC leader. Patil castigated the BJP state and central govts for their anti-peasant, anti-people and pro-corporate policies and for their communal and casteist conspiracies.
