Farmers’ group organises protest in Nashik

Demanding remunerative prices for farm produce and farmland for the adivasi community, the leftist organisation Kisan Sabha staged a massive state-level morcha and agitation in Nashik on Tuesday.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) national general secretary MP Sitaram Yechury, Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha general secretary Hunnan Maula, senior journalist P. Sainath, veteran trade union leader Dr D.L. Karad and other leaders addressed the rally.

Mr Yechury criticised the union and state governments for their inaction on farmers and adivasi issues. “The government waives off the loans of capitalists but not of farmers. The Maharashtra government has no scheme to waive off the debts of farmers,” he charged.

“The current rate of wheat is Rs 1,150 per quintal while the production cost is Rs 1,800. The government should stop importing wheat and should give a remunerative price of Rs 2,400 per quintal for wheat,” he said.

Mr Yechury stated that 99 per cent adivasis in Mizoram had got farms. “In Maharashtra too, the adivasis should get their land,” he asserted.

Mr Yechury said that the voice of the youth was being stifled and enmity was being promoted between two communities. The major demands are complete waiver of all loans and electricity bills of farmers, remunerative prices for farm produce, water, fodder and work in drought areas, minimum '50,000 per acre compensation for crop losses, among others.

Nashik was chosen as the venue because in Mumbai, there are several morchas daily and a particular morcha is not highlighted. Moreover, given the number of agitators, an expected one lakh, Nashik was a better choice, sources said.

The morcha began late evening, though the time given was in the afternoon. Traffic was stalled for a while, as the morcha began from Golf Club and marched to the Collectorate.