Thousands of farmers in State to repeat historic ‘Long March’

Nearly a year on, demands unmet and parleys with government fail to deliver

February 21, 2019 01:21 am | Updated 01:21 am IST - Mumbai

Back to Basics: Farmers gather in Nashik to start another long march to remind State about pending demands.

Back to Basics: Farmers gather in Nashik to start another long march to remind State about pending demands.

Thousands of farmers assembled at Mumbai Naka in Nashik on Wednesday to repeat the historic ‘Long March’ to Mumbai, that took place less than a year ago.

The farmers will begin their march on Thursday morning and aim to arrive in Mumbai on February 27 as farmers from across the State continue to reach the starting point, said Dr Ajit Navale, general secretary of the Maharasthra Kisan Sabha. The Nashik police, however, has refused permission for their march.

“We have been given permission to have a demonstration but they have stated that they will not allow the long march. However, if our demands are not met, the long march will start as planned,” Ashok Dhawale, president, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), said. Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Girish Mahajan will be going to Nashik to negotiate with leaders of the protest.

Earlier in the day, thousands of farmers travelling to Nashik to participate in the March were detained by the police and were not allowed to proceed. These farmers were mainly from Thane and Palghar districts.

“Is this the kind of democracy that we live in? Thousands were simply stopped by the police at places such as Dahanu and Kasara. It’s only after the news came out in the media did they allow a few of us to proceed,” Mr Dhawale said.

The AIKS has 15 key demands, including the utilisation of river water flowing into the Arabian Sea such as Narpur and Damanganga, to meet the water requirements of local farmers, provision of drought relief to the extent of ₹40,000, and employment creation that could yield ₹300 per day.

Mr Dhawale said that AIKS held two meetings with the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mr Mahajan earlier this month. “The first one was an informal meeting, which was held on February 11, where we asked for a more formal meeting. The formal meeting was held on February 17, where after three hours there was no progress,” Mr Dhawale said. The decision to conduct a second long march was decided after these talks failed.

The farmers want the State to stop declaring farmers ineligible under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, citing flimsy grounds, and stop the acquisition of farmer’s land for projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train.

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