Mumbai: Putting paid to hopes of an early resolution and restoration of normalcy in supply of vegetables and milk, the Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha’s (ABKS) Maharashtra unit on Saturday said the State-wide farmers' strike will continue until all demands are met by the Devendra Fadnavis government.
Adressing a press conference in Mumbai, Ajit Nawale, general secretary, ABKS (Maharashtra), said, “Yesterday, there was an attempt by the Chief Minister to disrupt the strike. In spite of the demands not being met, some leaders reached a compromise and a press conference was held to mislead the people. But the strike has not been called off, as not a single demand put forth was agreed to by the Chief Minister.”
Earlier in the day, Mr. Fadnavis had tweeted, “The strike is withdrawn and there should not be any violent protests against the State anymore.” His tweet came after a late-night meeting with a group of farmers from Puntambe village in Ahmednagar district, who promised to call off the strike after he assured them that the government would consider their demands.
Mr. Nawale added that Mr. Fadnavis, in a meeting held at his official residence Varsha early on Saturday, had said the MS Swaminathan Committee’s recommendation that farmers unable to work be paid a ‘pension’ cannot be implemented by the State government, as it is the Centre’s responsibility.
“He didn’t give us anything concrete on the loan waiver either. He said a committee will be appointed to study the extent to which farm loans can be waived off, which will be out on October 31. Mr. Fadnavis has been saying this for the past two years. Until our demands are fulfilled, our strike will not be called off. In fact, it will intensify in the days to come through more dharnas, morchas and rasta rokos,” he said.
Ashok Dhawale, joint secretary, All India Kisan Council, the Sabha’s parent organisation, said, “Farmer suicides are highest in Maharashtra at over 75,000 []. The main reason behind their debt burden is the government hasn’t given them a good price for their produce in several years.”
Referring to the tur dal crisis, he said the Narendra Modi government talks of about Make in India on one hand, and imports tur from Mozambique on the other. “So the farmers who actually make in India are ruined as their produce remains unsold,” Dr. Dhawale said.
The Sabha will be holding a conference in Nashik on June 8, expected to be attended by activists and leaders from across the State to chart a further course of action if their demands are not met.
