The aggravation of the acute agrarian crisis has resulted in a massive increase in farmers’ suicides, and is driving farmers out of agriculture and so, just a month after close to 18,000 farmers marched from Nashik to Mumbai, the the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has planned another farmers’ march from Akole to Loni in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra from April 26-28.
The AIKS has detailed how the agrarian crisis has aggravated owing to a combination of natural calamities and corruption, and immoral politics. “Due to political instability, the problems of the people and issues of development have got completely side-lined. Since most BJP leaders are busy offering bribes to engineer splits in rival parties… it has again become imperative to hit the streets to solve people’s fundamental problems,” said an AIKS leader. The commencement of this renewed stage of the agitation was announced by AIKS leaders, Dr Ashok Dhawale, J P Gavit, Kisan Gujar Umesh Deshmukh and Dr Ajit Nawale.
Due to this crisis, an overwhelming majority of farmers in the country are bearing the steep losses in agriculture only because they have no other alternative. It is the neo-liberal and pro-corporate policies of the BJP-led central and state governments that have heaped these calamities on the farmers. The agrarian crisis can be ended only by completely giving up these pro-corporate policies and adopting people-centric alternative policies.
“In the last two years, excessive and unseasonal rains destroyed crops in large parts of the state. The state government loudly declared that compensation would be given to farmers, but it has been given nowhere,” said the leaders speaking to Sabrangindia.
“Assurances were given time and again to vest forest land, temple land, inaam land, waqf land, pasture land, and land for housing to peasants and agricultural workers, many of whom are actually tilling that land for several generations. But instead of vesting land in their names, the police and forest departments were misused to beat up poor peasants and drive them out of their meagre land and houses. Land is being forcibly acquired for highways, corridors, ports, and airports, with very little compensation,” they added.
To draw sharp attention to these fundamental issues and given the callous disregard by the state government several dignitaries have agreed to join the march on foot of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) from Akole to Loni from April 26 to 28. They include the world-renowned rural affairs journalist P Sainath, the eminent rural economist Dr R Ramakumar, the popular peasant leader and writer from North India Badal Saroj, the young and dynamic MLA of the CPI (M) Vinod Nikole, and many others. P Sainath and most of the others will walk the entire distance for three days.
The AIKS will now organise this three day long march to Loni, the office of the Revenue Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. CITU, Construction Workers Federation, AIAWU, AIDWA, DYFI, SFI, All Gurav Samaj Sanghatana and other like-minded organisations have extended active fraternal support to the march.
If the demands of this march are not conceded, an indefinite Mahapadav struggle will begin at Loni from 28 April onwards.
Related:
Adivasi and other farmers under the AIKS bring Maharashtra govt to its feet