A coalition of Left parties and civil society groups from Maharashtra will be meeting on Tuesday to decide the road ahead in their ongoing agitation against the three farm laws.
Dr. Ashok Dhawale, president, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) said, “We have given a call of protest across Maharashtra and the country. In Maharashtra, we have invited all like-minded organisations to come together and protest. We are yet to get the exact order passed by the Supreme Court, but we have decided to go ahead with the meeting on Tuesday.”
Mr. Dhawale, who was in Mumbai for a meeting with the State unit of the AIKS, said farm laws were not only going to affect farmers alone but also every citizen of the country. “The BJP understands the language of votes and nothing else. Today, they see it as a problem limited to Punjab and Haryana. Based on Lok Sabha seats in these two States, they refuse to take the protest seriously. We will be ensuring that the BJP is answered in a language it understands,” he said.
Mr. Dhawale said in States like Maharashtra, AIKS is inviting labour unions, civil society groups and political parties with secular ideals to join the meeting. He said farmer leaders like Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana chief Raju Shetti and leaders of the Peasants and Workers Party will be attending the meeting, which will be organised at Bhupesh Gupta Bhavan in Prabhadevi.
