Massive Mass Actions in Maharashtra Strengthen Nationwide Farmers' Struggle

 From January 23 to 26, massive mass actions took place in Maharashtra to further strengthen the nationwide farmers' struggle for the repeal of the three hated Farm Laws and for a law to guarantee MSP and procurement. These politically significant actions were excellently covered by most of the mainstream national and state media, and of course by the social media. 

 

BUILDING UP THE STRUGGLE

 

From December 21 to 25, 2020, over 1,000 peasants from several districts, led by the AIKS Maharashtra unit, had led a five-day Vehicle March from Nashik to Delhi, which stayed at the Shahjahanpur border for a week. This had been reported in these columns earlier.

 

With the intensification of the nationwide struggle, there arose a need to greatly broaden and strengthen the struggle in Maharashtra, so as to involve all political and social forces opposed to the BJP government at the centre. The AIKS Maharashtra State Council drew up this strategy in its first post-Covid physical meeting after a year that was held at Belapur, New Mumbai on January 10.

 

At the initiative of the AIKS, a broad meeting of more than 100 organisations was convened in Mumbai on January 12. Representatives of most of the state level organisations in the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), Trade Unions Joint Action Committee (TUJAC), Struggle Committee of Mass Movements (JASS), Nation for Farmers and Hum Bharat ke Log participated. 

 

PROGRAMME OF ACTION

 

The name of the Front spearheading the movement was decided as Samyukta Shetkari Kamgar Morcha - (SSKM Maharashtra) - United Peasant Worker Front.

 

The action programmes that were decided upon were as follows: January 14-15 - Public burning of Farm Laws and Labour Codes; January 18 - Women Farmers Day; January 23 - Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Birth Anniversary - Farmers to leave from their respective districts in vehicles and come to Mumbai for the massive MahaPadav; January 24-26 - Farmers to conduct MahaPadav at Azad Maidan, Mumbai; January 25 - Mass Rally to Raj Bhawan; January 26 - Republic Day hoisting of the national flag at Azad Maidan. An SSKM press conference was held in Mumbai on January 15 and again on January 21 to announce this programme. 

 

On January 14-15, thousands of working people in Maharashtra made bonfires of the Farm Acts and Labour Codes. On January 18, the Mahila Kisan Day was observed widely all over the state, with thousands of women and men taking part in innumerable actions. The AIDWA played an important role in mobilising women across the state. 

 

MAIN DEMANDS

 

The main demands of this struggle are: Repeal the three Farm Acts and four Labour Codes; Enact a central law to guarantee a remunerative MSP and procurement; Withdraw the Electricity Amendment Bill; Give regular pension from the Centre to farmers and agricultural workers; Withdraw the anti-people New Education Policy. 

 

Some issues are also related to the state government. They are: Implement the Mahatma Phule Loan Waiver Scheme; Implement the Forest Rights Act and vest forest lands in the name of the tillers; Vest temple lands, pasture lands etc in the name of the tillers; Repeal the 2018 Land Acquisition Act enacted by the previous BJP state government and restore the earlier 2014 Act.

 

On January 14, the SSKM committee met former Union Agriculture Minister, former chief minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, state revenue minister and Congress state chief Balasaheb Thorat and requested them to support this struggle on behalf of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. All of them assured full support to the struggle. Sharad Pawar and Balasaheb Thorat agreed to address the state convention at Azad Maidan. Uddhav Thackeray agreed to send a Shiv Sena representative to the convention.

 

The SSKM delegation requested the above leaders to convene a special session of the state assembly to deal with the agrarian crisis and related issues; to adopt a state assembly resolution asking the Centre to repeal the three Farm Acts and the four Labour Codes; and to enact an Act for ensuring MSP and other demands. 

 

AIKS VEHICLE MARCH TO MUMBAI

 

All India Kisan Sabha's (AIKS) Maharashtra unit began a statewide Vehicle March of 15,000 farmers hailing from 21 districts of the state, from Nashik to Mumbai on January 23 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The March began from the Golf Club Maidan in Nashik in hundreds of tempos, pick-ups and other vehicles. A large public meeting held before the march began was addressed by leaders of all mass fronts.

 

On the night of January 23, the marchers halted for the night at Ghatandevi near Igatpuri. On the morning of January 24 they began their march on foot down the 8 Km long Kasara Ghat joining Nashik and Thane districts. Comprising a large number of women farmers and youth farmers, the three hour march began at 9 am and ended at 12 noon. The peasants were followed down the Kasara Ghat by hundreds of their vehicles. 

 

The Kasara Ghat march and the Vehicle Jatha was led by AIKS national president Dr Ashok Dhawale, state president Kisan Gujar, state general secretary Dr Ajit Nawale, state office bearers Sunil Malusare, Barkya Mangat, Ratan Budhar, Radka Kalangda, Savliram Pawar, Subhash Choudhary, Dada Raipure, Arjun Adey, Shankar Sidam, Uddhav Poul, Umesh Deshmukh, Uday Narkar, Manik Avaghade, CITU state secretary and CPI(M) MLA Vinod Nikole, AIDWA national general secretary Mariam Dhawale and state general secretary Prachi Hatiwlekar, AIAWU state president Maroti Khandare, DYFI state general secretary Preethy Sekhar, SFI state president Balaji Kaletwad and state general secretary Rohidas Jadhav, and many other AIKS state council leaders. 

 

The Vehicle Jatha then proceeded towards Mumbai. On the way, hundreds of CITU-affiliated factory workers from Igatpuri and Shahapur tehsils warmly welcomed their peasant compatriots by showering them with flowers.

 

At the Kalyan-Bhiwandi crossroad, the CPI(M), CITU and DYFI led by P K Lali, Sunil Chavan, Parveen Khan and Jyoti Tayde, and the Amrut Vela Gurudwara welcomed and provided thousands of food packets to all the Kisan marchers. 

 

The Jatha crossed Mumbai at the Mulund Check Naka in the afternoon and was warmly welcomed at the Kannamwar Nagar at Vikhroli by hundreds of activists of the CPI(M), CITU, DYFI and AIDWA in Mumbai, led by Party CCM Mahendra Singh and Hemkant Samant.

 

It then proceeded to the Azad Maidan, where it was resoundingly welcomed at the joint sit-in struggle at Azad Maidan organised by the SSKM from morning.

 

Massive Joint Convention in Mumbai

 

On January 25, on the eve of Republic Day, a massive joint statewide convention of around 40,000 peasants, workers and all other working sections was organised by the SSKM at the famous Azad Maidan in the heart of Mumbai. It included thousands of women and youth. This was on the second day of the Mahapadav that began on January 24.

 

The political significance of this convention was that it was the first time after many years in Maharashtra that all political and social forces opposed to the BJP came together on one platform. 

 

The main speakers were former union minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Congress state chief and state revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat, AIKS national general secretary Hannan Mollah, PWP general secretary Jayant Patil, MLC, AIKS national president Dr Ashok Dhawale, renowned journalist P Sainath, anti-communal fighter Teesta Setalvad, Shiv Sena leader Rahul Londhe, CPI(M) state secretary Narasayya Adam, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi, MLA, CPI state secretary Tukaram Bhasme, AAP secretary Dhananjay Shinde, RPI (Kawade) leader Ganesh Unhavne, AIDWA national general secretary Mariam Dhawale, AIKS state general secretary Dr Ajit Nawale, CITU state vice president Dr Vivek Monteiro, NAPM leader Medha Patkar, former Mumbai High Court Justice B G Kolse Patil, Hum Bharat ke Log leader Feroze Mithiborwala, MFUCTO president Tapati Mukhopadhyay, NCP leader Vidya Chavan, ex-MLA, Congress Mumbai chief Bhai Jagtap, MLA, Sarvahara Jan Andolan leader Ulka Mahajan, Kashtakari Sanghatana leader Brian Lobo, Satyashodhak Shetkari Sabha leader Kishor Dhamale and many others. The presidium comprised Raju Korde, S K Rege, Milind Ranade and Shailendra Kamble. 

 

Sharad Pawar was outspoken in his criticism of the BJP regime and of the three Farm Laws, insisted on an MSP guarantee law and warned that if the central government tried to destroy farmers, they would destroy it instead. 

 

Balasaheb Thorat also attacked the Modi government on the Farm Laws and said that the state government was seriously thinking of bringing in legislation to annul their effects and protect farmers.

 

Hannan Mollah gave the experience of the two month long historic farmers struggle around Delhi and exposed the sheer bankruptcy and insensitivity of the Modi regime while dealing with it. 

 

P Sainath stressed on the fact that these Farm Laws attacked not only farmers, but all sections of the people and gave several examples to prove this point.

 

Ashok Dhawale attacked the pro-corporate and neo-liberal character of the Farm Laws and the Labour Codes and accused the Modi regime of trying to sell off the country. Now it was targeting our agriculture and our land.

 

All the speakers flayed the Modi government for its pro-corporate Farm Laws and Labour Codes and came down heavily on the BJP govt's crony capitalist connection with the Ambanis and Adanis. Many leaders called for intensifying the boycott of their products and services. They also demanded a law guaranteeing a remunerative MSP and procurement.

 

GOVERNOR ABSENT, FARMERS TEAR MEMORANDUM

 

After the convention, a huge rally began for the Raj Bhawan. On learning that Governor Koshyari, in spite of having given an appointment to the SSKM delegation, had fled away to Goa, the people got angry. After an immediate SSKM meeting, Dr Ashok Dhawale announced its unanimous decision to cancel the delegation to the Governor and to publicly tear up the memorandum prepared for him. The public meeting then dispersed amidst great enthusiasm with the resolve to broaden and intensify the struggle manifold against the Farm Laws and the Labour Codes and for an MSP law.

 

On the morning of  January 26, the national flag was hoisted at the Azad Maidan by Yamunabai Jadhav, a 73 year old Adivasi woman from Nashik district, who had herself walked the entire 200 Km stretch of the AIKS-led Kisan Long March from Nashik to Mumbai two years ago. The Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, Nana Patole specially remained present for the flag hoisting, along with SSKM leaders.

 

The January 23-26 actions in Maharashtra had a wide impact in the state and also across the country.

Ashok Dhawale