tariqah:

tariqah:

After walking with blistered feet for about 180 km in the blazing sun over the last five days, at least 35,000 farmers from Maharashtra’s Nashik district have entered the capital city. They camped at the Thane-Mumbai border this morning before heading for the KJ Somaiya Ground in Sion. The traffic police say they are prepared and have also issued a traffic advisory to avoid jams in the city. Elaborate security arrangements are also in place, police said.

The farmer contingent, including tribal cultivators, led by the Left-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), plans to gherao the Vidhan Sabha tomorrow to press their demands for complete loan waiver and transfer of adivasi land to farmers who have been tilling it for years. The adivasis, who have joined the movement in huge numbers, say it is a matter of life and death.

In November last year, the Devendra Fadnavis government had announced loan waiver for farmers after the state witnessed a 10-day long protest by farmers. Without mentioning figures or who would be eligible, he had promised that it would be the “biggest loan waiver in Maharashtra’s history”. Last month, state Governor Vidyasagar Rao told the state assembly that said the government has transferred more than Rs 12,000 crore into bank accounts of more than 3.1 million farmers.

But the farmers also want the implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report, which says farmers should be paid one-and-a-half times the cost of production and the Minimum Support Price should be fixed keeping this in mind.