This march is to expand the struggle: Protesting farmers reach Mumbai's Azad Maidan

The farmers at Azad Maidan on Sunday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Acting on the Samyukta Kisan Morcha's (SKM) nationwide call for a demonstration between January 23 and 26, around 15,000 farmers from 21 districts in Maharashtra, under the banner of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), took out a vehicular jatha (march) from Nashik to Mumbai. They left on Saturday and reached Azad Maidan on Sunday evening.

The farmers start the vehicular jatha from Nashik for Mumbai

There they were greeted by numerous civil rights and workers' groups. All of them will be part of a three-day protest against the recently passed farm bills and labour laws. After leaving Nashik, the vehicle march halted at Ghatandevi, near Igatpuri, for the night, where the farmers slept on the ground near a temple. At 9 AM on Sunday, thousands of farmers, including women from the AIDWA as well as numerous student organisations, assembled at Ghatandevi and marched down the 7 km stretch of Kasara Ghat, after which they resumed their vehicle jatha towards Azad Maidan.

The farmers near CSMT on Sunday. Pic/Ashish Raje

Speaking to mid-day, AIKS President Dr Ashok Dhawale, who is leading the Kasara Ghat march, said, "This march is being held to support and expand the historic two month-long farmers' struggle in Delhi for the repeal of the three farm laws and for a central law to guarantee a remunerative MSP and procurement all over the country. It is a joint struggle from today, since the farmers of the AIKS, who constitute the largest contingent, will be joined by numerous social organisations and workers groups in Mumbai, to take part in the struggle against the Centre's agricultural legislation which will completely destroy the common farmer's livelihood."

The farmers marched through the Kasara Ghat

The three-day protest at Azad Maidan from Sunday, has been organised by over a hundred organisations affiliated to the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), Trade Unions Joint Action Committee, Struggle Committee of Mass Movements, Nation for Farmers and Hum Bharat Ke Log. All of them formed the Samyukta Shetkari Kamgar Morcha (SSKM), Maharashtra.

Today, a public meeting will be addressed by top leaders in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, including Sharad Pawar, Balasaheb Thorat, Aaditya Thackeray and AIKS national general secretary Hannan Mollah and other leaders. On Tuesday i.e. Republic Day, an almost 50,000 strong rally will march to Raj Bhavan to submit a memorandum to the Governor - a practice being undertaken by protesting farmers across the country. The agitation will conclude on January 26, Republic Day, with the hoisting of the national flag, the singing of the national anthem and a "pledge to make the current struggle of farmers and workers victorious at all costs."

The demands of the SSKM are, "Repeal the three Farm laws, enact a central law guaranteeing remunerative MSP and procurement, withdraw the Electricity Amendment Bill, Repeal the four labour codes, vest all forest lands, temple lands, pasture lands etc in the names of the tillers, and resume the implementation of the Mahatma Phule Loan Waiver Scheme for farmers, which had been suspended due to the COVID pandemic."

Feroz Mithiborwala, a member of Hum Bharat Ke Log, said, "Farmers and workers have been coordinating since as early as September because both, the labour laws and farm laws, will adversely affect their livelihood; the first will weaken the working class while the other bills are simply outrageous."

He further said that there was a bit of a "victory" since permission had been granted for tractors to march into Delhi on Republic Day. "This tractor march is a show of strength by the farmers that says they cannot be bypassed so easily…which is why on Republic Day, we are taking back our country from the Adani-Ambani-Modi government. This is one of the strongest battles against crony capitalism on the world stage and the people of India cannot afford to lose it."

BCS support
"The Bombay Catholic Sabha's Vikhroli Unit (in association with all units) in Mumbai in solidarity with the farmers and Fr. Stan Swamy as well as other social activists who are in prison, will hold placards and banners on Republic Day between 9.15 am and 11 am at Vikhroli East," said BCS Vikhroli Chairman Mario Rodrigues.

‘Adequate security'
The police have deployed adequate security near Azad Maidan on Sunday, including nine platoons of SRPF. The farmers will be gheraoing the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday. "We have deployed adequate security and extra manpower has been provided to local police stations in the form of 100 officers and constables. We will be monitoring the entire protest with the help of drones," said DCP S Chaitanya, Mumbai police spokesperson. Faizan Khan

Jan 23
When the vehicular march began

Jan 26
When three-day protest ends