Shinde, Fadnavis to meet delegation of marching farmers today

Mumbai: Chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will hold a meeting with a delegation representing marching farmers on Wednesday

Mumbai: Chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will hold a meeting with a delegation representing marching farmers on Wednesday.

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If the talks between the farmers and the government remained inconclusive, about 15,000 farmers are expected to reach Mumbai on Monday.

Farmers from tribal districts like Nashik, Palghar, Thane and other parts of the state have started a foot march from Dindori in Nashik on March 12 pressing 17 demands. Led by All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), the farmer wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist), various farmers organisations are participating in the march. This was the third march by the farmers between Nashik and Mumbai, a distance of 170 kms. The then Fadnavis government had assured to fulfil the demands after the first march in 2018. The one in 2019 was called off on the second day after assurance from the state government.

The farmers have been demanding ex gratia of ₹600 per quintal for late kharif onion, transfer of forest land to tribals, power supply to agricultural pumps for 12 hours, complete loan waiver, compensation to farmers for crop losses due to natural calamity, adequate compensation for land acquisition and re-launch of old pension scheme are some of the demands raised by them.

Ashok Dhawale of AIKS said, “We will take a call whether to continue the march after the meeting with the state government. Some of our demands are the same as raised in 2018, but some are completely different in nature.”

Raising the issue in the assembly, leader of the Opposition Ajit Pawar demanded intervention by the state government. Responding to it, Nashik guardian minister Dada Bhuse said, “I met the farmers on Sunday. We do not want them to continue the march and even they have assured us that if the demands are met, they will call it off.”

Vinod Nikole, MLA, Communist Party of India (M) said, “We have been told that the state government was positive about our demands. The government had given us assurances to our demands in 2018 when we held a similar march, but barring a few issues like transfer of land (under Forest Conservation Act) to tribals, nothing was fulfilled.”

Nikole, who is part of the march, said that the marching farmers have reached Igatpuri and will descend Kasara ghat on Wednesday.