Farmers on long march yet again in Maharashtra

Amid multiple agrarian issues in Maharashtra, a huge group of farmers commenced their Nashik-Mumbai long march on Sunday - a development that poses a big challenge to the nine-month-old Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government.

The march started off from Dindori in Nashik district and will end on March 23 near the Vidhan Bhavan complex, where the budget session of Maharashtra legislature is under way.

“We will not do anything that will put the general public into convenience,” Veteran tribal leader and seven-term former MLA Jiva Pandu Gavit said.

“We have started today and will continue marching ahead,” Dr Ajit Navale, the general secretary of Maharashtra unit of All India Kisan Sabha, told DH over phone on Sunday.

The latest agitation was triggered by the falling wholesale prices of onion and the overall situation of the agriculture sector particularly after the recent unseasonal rains.

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A large number of farmers, workers, adivasis and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers are part of the long foot march.

The participants are carrying red flags of the CPI(M) and banners with ''Give MSP to onions'' written on them.

Senior leaders of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government and Maharashtra government officials are expected to meet them, however, the farmers have asked for a written assurance.

The march coincides with the fifth anniversary of a long farmers' march that shook the Centre and Maharashtra government.

It may be recalled, nearly 30,000 to 35,000 farmers and adivasis marched from Nashik to Mumbai's Azad Maidan -a distance of nearly 180 km in seven days from March 6-12 in 2018. In fact, the farmers won hearts in Mumbai as they chose to walk during the night and wee hours to avoid traffic mess and taking into account board exams.