In a fight to save their livelihood, nearly 10,000 Farmers and Adivasis across Maharashtra on Thursday gathered at Azad Maidan after being denied to enter the vicinity around Vidhan Sabha in South Mumbai.
“We want Maharashtra government to resolve our land issues. Everyone has only one demand and that is to save our Jal, Jungle, and Zamin from the policies of the government. We gathered here Azad Maidan at 11:00 PM and we have been walking since yesterday from Thane,” Fulsing Barela, a farmer from Jalgaon informed.
The farmers have been marching to Mumbai since November 21 from Thane. They carried on with their protest under the banner of ‘Lok Sangharsh Morcha’ after spending a night at Chunabhatti’s Somaiya ground. A delegation of the farmers has gone to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“We are adamant on our demands and we won’t leave till our demands are fulfilled. We are ready to carry on with our morcha till indefinite time. We will decide our further course of action after the delegation meets CM Fadnavis,” a protestor asserted.
The protest has highlighted the farmers’ demand to give them their rights under Forest Rights Act and to implement the Swaminathan report which focuses majorly on the land reforms and the access of Adivasis to their fundamental recourses including water, forest, and land.
Along with this, the report which was first submitted in December 2004 talks about the enhancement and advancement of agriculture. The Swaminathan commission earlier suggested that the agriculture subject should be listed under concurrent list for it to become a focus of both state and union government.
Earlier in March, almost 50,000 farmers under the label of All India Kisan Sabha, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) wing, marched from Nashik to Mumbai demanding loan waiver and other demands.
Maharashtra government gave assurances on several demands to the protesting farmers earlier. However, the state government has failed to stand on the same.
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