MAHARASHTRA FARMERS WREST HISTORIC LOAN WAIVER THROUGH UNITED 10-DAY STRIKE STRUGGLE

It was a historic struggle. And it culminated in an equally historic victory. It has already had its impact all over Maharashtra. And it will have its impact in the country.

On June 11, 2017, the farmers of Maharashtra at last won the hard-fought battle for a loan waiver after a ten day unprecedented strike struggle that began on June 1, supported by a massive Maharashtra Bandh on June 5.

THE STRUGGLE

As a result of the novel united struggle that caught the imagination of the people of Maharashtra, the Co-ordination Committee of Farmers’ Organisations was invited by the state government for negotiations at the Sahyadri State Guest House in Mumbai on June 11. This itself was a climb-down for the government, which had claimed for a week that it would talk only to ‘real farmers and not to those who were using the farmers for their own ends’. Five factors influenced the government to change its stance.

First, the attempt by the Chief Minister on June 3 to abort the peasant strike by using some pliant and self-styled ‘peasant leaders’ was smashed by the decisive intervention of the AIKS. The AIKS immediately took the initiative to bring all farmers’ organisations together to fight this betrayal and to continue the strike.  

Second, on June 6 there occurred the horrendous police firing by the BJP state government on farmers who were agitating for the very same demands in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, killing five of them. This had severe repercussions throughout the country and it put the BJP, along with its central and state governments, on the defensive.  

Third, on June 8 a massive state convention of the Co-ordination Committee of Farmers’ Organisations of Maharashtra was held at Nashik. The unity of all peasant organisations and the militancy of thousands of farmers displayed at that convention, together with the vibrant success of the then week-long farmers’ strike, conveyed its own powerful message.

Fourth, this convention gave a clarion call for a statewide Rail Roko and Rasta Roko struggle slated for June 13 if the government still refused to relent. This unnerved the powers that be, who began seeing nightmares of a repeat of Mandsaur in several places in Maharashtra. The preparations for that decisive action had begun in full swing all over the state.

Fifth, special mention must be made that the print and electronic media as a whole, especially the Marathi media, prominently and consistently highlighted the peasant strike and its demands, the Maharashtra Bandh, the Nashik state convention and all the peasant actions that took place. Public opinion thus turned against the BJP government.      

As a result of all these factors, on June 9, the very next day after the Nashik convention, the state government announced the formation of a high-powered committee of six Cabinet ministers headed by Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, to hold negotiations with the Co-ordination Committee on June 11 and sent a letter inviting the Committee for talks.

To ensure unanimity within the 35-member Co-ordination Committee when talking to the government, a special Committee meeting was held at the office of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) on June 10. A charter of demands was prepared with the concurrence of all participants. A jam-packed media conference was held after the meeting.

It is significant to note that in the first meeting of peasant organisations that was held at Nashik on June 4, the young and dynamic general secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Dr Ajit Nawale, who had walked out of the earlier negotiations with the Chief Minister on the night of June 3 and who had blown the lid off the betrayal of the strike, was unanimously elected Convenor of the Co-ordination Committee. He carried out all his responsibilities as Convenor with admirable courage and fortitude that was acknowledged by all. This, together with the fact that the AIKS has consistently and independently led militant mass struggles in recent years on burning peasant issues, has a state membership of well over two lakh and has functioning units in 23 districts – more than any other farmers’ organisation -  put the AIKS at the centre stage of this peasant struggle in Maharashtra.   

THE VICTORY     

On June 11, the entire 35-member Co-ordination Committee was present at the talks with the state government. Prominent among them were Raju Shetty, MP, Bachhu Kadu, MLA, Jayant Patil, MLC, Raghunathdada Patil, Dr Ashok Dhawale, Namdev Gavade and Convenor Dr Ajit Nawale. Also present were experts helping the Committee like Vishwas Utagi and Prof H M Desarda. The state government was represented by Cabinet ministers Chandrakant Patil, Pandurang Fundkar, Divakar Raote, Girish Mahajan, Subhash Deshmukh and several secretaries and other officials of the related departments.

With strenuous and protracted negotiations for over three hours, after the ministers present consulted the Chief Minister, the state government finally agreed as follows: 1. Complete loan waiver to the peasantry, subject to certain criteria to exclude the rich sections; 2. These criteria will be decided within one month by a 10-12 member committee, which will have half the members from the Co-ordination Committee and half from the government; 3. Implementation of loan waiver to all peasants holding less than five acres of land with immediate effect and new loans to be given to them immediately for the coming sowing season; 4. Substantial increase in the price of milk to be paid to the peasantry as per the formula that 70 per cent of the selling price of milk will go to the peasant and 30 per cent to the processing institute for its expenses; 5. The Chief Minister will take a delegation of farmers’ organisations to the prime minister to insist on the Swaminathan Commission recommendation of fixing the minimum support price (MSP) to cover the cost of production plus 50 percent profit; 6. The state government will give a written reply to all the other demands in the charter; 7. Police cases in this struggle will be immediately withdrawn.

After the leadership placed these decisions before the Committee for its approval, the group of ministers was requested to place the same decisions before the entire Co-ordination Committee for its acceptance. It was only after this democratic and transparent procedure was followed that a joint media meet was held and all the above decisions were reported. They were flashed with lead and banner headlines by all the media in Maharashtra.

The same evening, a wave of joy swept through the rural areas across the state. In thousands of towns and villages, people burst crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate the victory of this magnificent struggle.

Apart from the significance of the demands won, the characteristics of this peasant struggle were: it was led by young peasants all across the state; most peasant organisations and their leaders stood united in this struggle; peasant issues came to the forefront in discussion and decision making after a very long time; unity of the peasantry and the working class (CITU, AITUC and other trade unions held impressive joint solidarity actions in several cities), peasant organisations and intellectuals in the agrarian field began taking shape; and peasant struggles on these and other issues began to spread to other states across the country.

THE FUTURE     

The immediate issue is the finalisation of the exclusion criteria for the complete loan waiver. There is unanimity that the richer sections must be excluded from the benefits of any loan waiver. The actual quantum of the loan waiver will become known only when these criteria are finalised. But if these criteria are not satisfactorily settled before the state assembly begins its monsoon session on July 24, the Committee has warned in the joint media meet itself that the struggle will be revived with even greater unity and strength from July 26, which is the birth anniversary of the renowned social reformer Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj.

The loan waiver decision will certainly provide much-needed relief to the overwhelming majority of the peasantry. The Committee strongly insisted on two aspects and these were conceded by the government. One, there should not be a land limit because dry land farmers everywhere generally have more than five acres of land. This is especially the case in both Vidarbha and Marathwada, the cotton and soyabean-growing backward and largely unirrigated regions, which have the largest number of suicides of debt-ridden peasants. It is the peasants here that need loan waiver the most. Two, the loan waiver should not be limited only to peasants who have defaulted on their loans. In the largely irrigated regions of Western and Northern Maharashtra, lakhs of peasants with less than five acres of land who grow sugarcane, vegetables and fruits and who cannot pay off their loans, simply renew them each year in record books. They should not be left out of the loan waiver ambit.

With Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s recent statement that the Centre will not help any state financially for peasant loan waivers, the Modi regime’s anti-peasant stance becomes crystal clear. No such statement was ever made when loan waivers and tax benefits of lakhs of crores of rupees were given to corporate houses by the same government.     

At the same time, a loan waiver by itself cannot be the panacea for all the ills afflicting agriculture and the peasantry. Implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendation as regards remunerative prices will be the next key issue of struggle. That struggle cannot be limited to Maharashtra alone; if it has to be successful, it must be intensified all over the country. The Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan has already given a nationwide call on the issues of loan waiver, remunerative prices, the ban on the cattle trade and increased MNREGA allocation, for June 16.

Last but not the least, there is the vital question of land acquisition and land reforms, and the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) for land rights to the Adivasis. All these are the key issues for intense nationwide peasant struggles in the future.      

Ashok Dhawale

HISTORIC VICTORY OF THE PEASANTRY OF MAHARASHTRA!

June 11, 2017 saw the historic victory of the peasantry of Maharashtra, after a 10 day novel and unprecedented strike, backed by a massive Maharashtra Bandh on June 5. Under pressure of the unity and struggle of the peasantry and the impending call for a militant state-wide Rail Roko and Rasta Roko struggle on June 13, the BJP-Shiv Sena state govt represented by the high-powered committee of five cabinet ministers today held talks with the Coordination Committee of Peasant Organisations in Mumbai.

After strenuous negotiations for over three hours, the govt agreed to the following demands:

1. Complete loan waiver to the peasantry, subject to certain criteria to exclude the rich sections. These criteria will be decided within one month by a 10 member committee comprising 5 representatives of the Kisan organisations and 5 of the state government.*

2. Implementation of loan waiver to all peasants holding less than 5 acres of land with immediate effect and new loans to be given to them immediately for the coming sowing season.

3. Substantial increase in the price of milk to be paid to the peasantry as per the formula that 70 per cent of the selling price of milk will go to the peasant and 30 per cent to the processing institute for its expenses.

4. CM will take a delegation of peasant organisations to the PM to insist on the Swaminathan Commission recommendation of fixing MSP to cover cost of production plus 50 per cent profit.

5. State govt will give written reply to other points in the memorandum.

6. Police cases in this struggle will be immediately withdrawn.

The peasant organisations were represented in the talks by Raju Shetty, MP, Bachhu Kadu, MLA, Jayant Patil, MLC, Raghunathdada Patil, Dr Ashok Dhawale (AIKS), Convenor of the committee Dr Ajit Nawale (AIKS), Namdev Gavade and others. The state government was represented by cabinet ministers Chandrakant Patil, Divakar Ravte, Pandurang Fundkar, Girish Mahajan and Subhash Deshmukh. If the criteria of the loan waiver are not satisfactorily decided before the state assembly session begins on July 24, it was declared that the Committee will re-launch the struggle from July 26, the birth anniversary of renowned social reformer Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj.

This victory has been hailed far and wide by the peasantry of Maharashtra and the media has also welcomed it profusely in lead headlines. The significant point is that the AIKS was widely acknowledged as the focal point of this remarkable struggle and it took the lead in uniting all other peasant organisations in the state to successfully overcome the vile attempt by the government and some other forces to break the peasant strike on June 3. 

Ashok Dhawale, Joint Secretary, All India Kisan Sabha

MAHARASHTRA BANDH ON JUNE 5 HAILS HISTORIC FARMERS’ STRIKE

Ashok Dhawale

June 5, 2017 was a red letter day in the history of Maharashtra. On that day, practically the whole of rural and semi-urban Maharashtra came to a halt as part of a Maharashtra Bandh to support the historic statewide farmers’ strike that began on June 1. The call had been given jointly by several peasant organisations, among whom the AIKS is playing a major role.

Hundreds of towns, mandis, roads, shops and government offices were closed down by lakhs of farmers who came on to the streets in solidarity with the demands of the strike. In several places, effigies of the BJP state government were burnt. There were police lathi charges in several places in which innumerable peasants were injured. One of them died while running to escape from the police repression. There were hundreds of arrests.

The strike and the Bandh reflected the long pent-up anger of the peasantry at always being given a raw deal by the powers that be. The rage against the government was palpable everywhere. Maharashtra had never seen such a novel phenomenon of peasant protest. The strike has entered its successful seventh day at the time of filing this report on June 7.

FUNDAMENTAL DEMANDS

The unprecedented peasant strike, with farmers refusing to get their produce like milk, vegetables and fruits to the market, has been intensifying with every passing day. The two cardinal demands of the strike are peasant loan waiver and implementation of the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) that was headed by Dr M S Swaminathan, particularly the one about setting the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops to cover the cost of production plus fifty percent profit.

Other demands include increase in the price of milk paid to the farmer; pension to peasants and agricultural workers above the age of 60 years; waiving of arrears of electricity bills; and increased irrigation facilities. Some other demands that have been raised are to stop the conspiracy of snatching farmers’ lands in the name of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Highway and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor; scrapping of the pro-corporate Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and providing comprehensive insurance security to all farmers.

The spontaneous response of the peasantry of Maharashtra to the strike was not without reason. Of the four lakh suicides of debt-ridden peasants that have taken place in India during the last 25 years of neo-liberal policies, Maharashtra has the dubious distinction of topping the list of states, with nearly 75,000 farmers having committed suicide. Vidarbha region has the largest number of peasant suicides, followed by the Marathwada region. 12,602 farmers committed suicide in India in the year 2015. Compared to 2014, this is a massive 42 percent increase. Maharashtra had 4,291 farmer suicides in 2015. The situation has aggravated markedly with the ascent of the BJP-led Modi regime three years ago.

OVERCOMING BETRAYAL

The peasant strike boiled over with anger on June 3 with the shameful act of its betrayal by two blacklegs who were masquerading as peasant leaders. It has now come to light that both these self-styled leaders – Jayaji Suryavanshi and Sandip Gidde – have old RSS connections. They met the Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in a delegation in the wee hours of June 3. In spite of the CM not concretely conceding even a single demand of the fighting peasants after a three hour discussion, they unilaterally declared a withdrawal of the strike at dawn without consulting any of the peasant organisations who were actively supporting the strike. It became crystal clear that both the RSS-BJP state government and these blacklegs had connived to undermine this historic peasant struggle.

But to their utter misfortune, the general secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Dr Ajit Nawale was also a part of the delegation that met the CM. He was the only one of the 17-member delegation who hotly argued that none of the vital demands of the strike like loan waiver and remunerative prices were agreed to by the CM and hence the strike must on no account be withdrawn. The CM, during the discussions, went to the extent of branding him as a ‘disruptive Communist’ and the two blacklegs declared that ‘he was not a member of the core committee, and hence need not be taken seriously.’

Dr Ajit Nawale then consulted AIKS national joint secretary Dr Ashok Dhawale on phone at 3.45 am on June 3. Both decided that he should walk out of the talks with the CM in protest and should immediately report the full details of the connived betrayal to the media that was waiting outside the CM’s bungalow. This was flashed all over the state by the electronic media and it led to a massive uproar amongst the peasantry all over the state against both the chief minister and these blacklegs. Both these AIKS leaders immediately contacted leaders of the other peasant organisations who were against this sellout and it was jointly decided by all of them to give the Maharashtra Bandh call for June 5.

On June 2, before all these events, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had addressed a jam-packed press meet in Mumbai where he fully supported the peasant strike. On June 3 again, Dr Ashok Dhawale, Dr Ajit Nawale, AIKS state president Kisan Gujar and state working president Arjun Adey addressed another jam-packed press meet in Mumbai organised by the AIKS. They thoroughly exposed this betrayal and called for intensification of the strike. Both these press meets were extensively covered by the print and electronic media.

On June 4, a meeting of peasant organisations was held at Nashik, where the old core committee that held discussions with the CM was declared as dissolved and a new 21-member coordination committee comprising leaders of various peasant organisations was formed to lead the strike. As per the call of this committee, on June 6, the day after the Maharashtra Bandh, tens of thousands of peasants closed down the tehsil offices in the state, putting padlocks on many of them. On June 7, the peasants will picket the houses of MLAs and MPs throughout Maharashtra. On June 8, a meeting followed by a peasant convention will be held in Nashik to decide the future course of this struggle.

The ongoing peasant struggle has already taken a toll of the unity of the ruling alliance in the state. Two major political parties, the Shiv Sena and the Swabhimani Party led by peasant leader Raju Shetty, a Lok Sabha MP, are openly supporting the peasant strike and are vehemently criticising the BJP and the chief minister. Sadabhau Khot of the Swabhimani Party, who is the minister of state for agriculture in the state government, was also involved in the talks in the CM’s house on June 3. He is also being roundly criticised and deep differences have developed between him and his leader Raju Shetty. Due to the inexorable sweep of the peasant strike, the Congress, NCP and others have declared support to it.

ROLE OF THE LEFT

All Left parties – CPI(M), CPI, PWP – have been actively supporting the peasant strike from the beginning. Trade unions like CITU and AITUC, organisations like AIAWU, AIDWA, DYFI and SFI have also extended active support. The CITU has held demonstrations and marches in several places to support the peasant strike as part of its call for worker-peasant unity. AIKS units throughout Maharashtra are, of course, in the thick of the struggle.   

The consistent AIKS struggles in Maharashtra over the last one and a half years have, in fact, helped to popularise the issues and the demands of the present struggle. The massive one lakh strong AIKS sit-in satyagraha at Nashik in March 2016; the militant struggle on the issue of drought at the Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner’s office in the Marathwada region in May 2016; the impressive Coffin Rally to the Thane District Collector’s office to mark the AIKS state conference in June 2016; and the 50,000 strong siege of the tribal development minister’s house at Wada in Palghar district in October 2016, which yielded concrete gains for the Adivasi peasantry; and the ‘Aasood’ (Whipcord) State Convention followed by the ‘Aasood’ State Rally to the house of the state agriculture minister at Khamgaon in Buldana district of Vidarbha region last month on May 11, 2017 – it is this series of struggles led by the AIKS that have put the organisation for the first time in the mainstream of the current peasant struggle in Maharashtra. 

Historic Farmers’ Struggle in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Bandh called today June 5 jointly by several peasant organisations, among whom the Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha (AIKS) is playing a leading role, to support the historic state-wide Peasant Strike, was a massive success almost all over the state. Big cities had been excluded. Hundreds of towns, mandis, roads, shops, government offices etc were closed down by lakhs of farmers who came on to the streets in solidarity with the burning demands of the strike.

The unprecedented Peasant Strike, which began on June 1, with farmers refusing to get their produce like milk, vegetables and fruits to the market, entered its fifth day today. It was further intensified with anger on June 3 due to the shameful act of its betrayal by two blacklegs who were masquerading as peasant leaders. It has now come to light, not surprisingly, that both these self-styled leaders - Jayaji Suryavanshi and Sandip Gidde- have old RSS connections. They met the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the early hours of June 3 and, in spite of the CM not concretely conceding a single demand of the fighting peasants, they unilaterally declared a withdrawal of the Strike at dawn. It was crystal clear that both the RSS-BJP state government and these blacklegs had connived to undermine this historic struggle of the farmers of Maharashtra. But to their utter misfortune, AIKS State General Secretary, Dr Ajit Nawale, was also a part of the delegation that met the CM. He strongly argued that none of the vital demands like loan waiver, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendation on remunerative prices, pension for peasants and agricultural workers etc were agreed to by the CM and hence the Strike should not be withdrawn. When both the CM and these blacklegs refused to listen to his pleas, he consulted AIKS national joint secretary Dr Ashok Dhawale on phone at 3.45 am on June 3, walked out of the talks in protest and immediately reported the connived betrayal to the media waiting outside the CM's bungalow. This was flashed all over the state and it led to a massive uproar amongst the peasantry against both the government and the blacklegs.

On June 2, before these events, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had addressed a packed press meet in Mumbai supporting the Peasant Strike. On June 3 again, Dr Ashok Dhawale, Dr Ajit Nawale, AIKS state president Kisan Gujar and state working president Arjun Adey addressed another packed press meet organised by the AIKS in Mumbai exposing this betrayal and calling for the intensification of the Peasant Strike. Both these press meets were extensively covered by both print and electronic media. AIKS leaders Ashok Dhawale and Ajit Nawale immediately contacted leaders of other peasant organisations who were against this sellout and it was jointly decided to give today's Maharashtra Bandh call.

The Peasant Strike will continue with strength and on June 8, a meeting of the new coordination committee that has been formed will meet at Nashik and will decide the future course of struggle. AIKS units throughout Maharashtra are in the thick of the ongoing struggle. All Left and other opposition parties, trade unions like CITU, AITUC and others, AIAWU, AIDWA, SFI and DYFI have been actively supporting the Peasant Strike. The CITU has held demonstrations in several cities as part of its call for worker-peasant unity.

Ashok Dhawale, Joint Secretary, AIKS

MAHARASHTRA AIKS LEADS MASSIVE WHIPCORD RALLY TO RESIDENCE OF STATE AGRICULTURE MINISTER

Ajit Nawale

On May 11, 2017, the Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha (AIKS) held an ‘Aasood’ (Whipcord) State Convention followed by an ‘Aasood’ State Rally to the house of the BJP’s state agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar at Khamgaon in Buldana district of Vidarbha region. Mahatma Jotirao Phule had written a celebrated book that was aptly called “Shetkaryacha Aasood” (Whipcord of the Farmer). It was from this that the AIKS coined the name.   

Khamgaon town had been decorated with hundreds of AIKS flags. Thousands of peasants from 21 districts of the state, braving the scorching summer heat and surmounting the marriage season, converged here. They were mobilised by the AIKS from all the five regions, viz. Vidarbha, Marathwada, North Maharashtra, Western Maharashtra and Konkan.

Vidarbha region has gained notoriety as a graveyard of farmers, for it is here that the largest number of suicides of debt-ridden farmers has taken place in Maharashtra. Both the central and state BJP-Shiv Sena governments are clearly responsible for this. 12,602 farmers committed suicide in our country in the year 2015. Compared to 2014, this is a massive 42 percent increase. With 4,291 farmer suicides in 2015, Maharashtra under the BJP-Shiv Sena regime has the dubious distinction of topping all states in peasant suicides in the country.

In preparation for this convention and rally, the AIKS had begun an Aasood Yatra throughout the state from April 11. Several district conventions, meetings and demonstrations were held. The date was historic for three reasons: it was the 190^th birth anniversary of Mahatma Phule; it was the death anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji, whom Phule had hailed as the King of the Peasantry; and it was the 81^st foundation day of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).

After the massive one lakh strong AIKS sit-in satyagraha at Nashik in March 2016; the militant struggle on the issue of drought at the Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner’s office in May 2016; the impressive Coffin Rally to the Thane District Collector’s office to mark the AIKS state conference in June 2016; and the 50,000 strong siege of Adivasi Development Minister, Vishnu Savra's house at Wada in Palghar district in October 2016, which yielded concrete gains for the Adivasi peasantry; the AIKS now decided to take forward the farmers’ agitation straight to the state Agriculture Minister.

ENTHUSIASTIC CONVENTION

The presidium of the convention comprised AIKS state president Kisan Gujar, state vice presidents Udayan Sharma, Sidhappa Kalshetty, Barkya Mangat and Mumtaz Haider. Former AIKS state president Dada Raipure, while inaugurating the convention, placed the serious problems faced by the peasantry and called for a struggle to change ruling class policies.

The main resolution of the convention was placed by AIKS state general secretary Dr Ajit Nawale. Some of the major demands that he set out were: Give complete loan waiver to farmers who own less than 25 acres of dry land and less than 10 acres of irrigated land; Provide remunerative price to farmers as cost of production plus 50 percent profit; Procure all the tur of peasants at MSP rates; Implement all the recommendations in the interest of farmers made by the National Commission on Farmers headed by Dr M S Swaminathan; Immediately stop the conspiracy of snatching farmers’ lands in the name of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Highway and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor; Hand over forest land, temple/shrine land, pasture land with pattas to the cultivating peasants; Scrap the pro-corporate Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and provide comprehensive insurance security to all farmers; Provide pension of Rs 3000 per month to poor and middle peasants and agricultural workers aged 60 and above; Ensure at least 200 days of work and minimum wage of Rs 350 per day to agricultural workers under MNREGA; Scrap the river-joining project signed by the Maharashtra and Gujarat state governments, and instead conserve the water of the West-flowing rivers and devise schemes to give it to Thane, Palghar, Nashik and other drought-prone districts; Give priority to local peasants while distributing water from the several dams built in Adivasi areas; Make adequate financial provision for irrigation and power; and Start MIDCs for industrial development to ensure employment to youth.

The resolution was ably seconded by AIKS state office bearers Yashwant Zade, Arjun Adey, Savliram Pawar, Radka Kalangda, Shankarrao Danav, Umesh Deshmukh, Vilas Babar, Shankar Sidam, Uddhav Poul, Mohan Lamb and Sunil Malusare, after which it was adopted unanimously. The convention was greeted by AIDWA state vice president Lahani Dauda, SFI state president Mohan Jadhav and SFI state general secretary Balaji Kaletwad.

AIKS national joint secretary Dr Ashok Dhawale delivered the concluding address. He lashed out at the anti-peasant, pro-corporate, communal and fascistic character of the RSS-BJP regimes in the centre and the state. Just the day before the convention, BJP state president Raosaheb Danve had publicly insulted the peasants who were demanding a just price for their tur and this had become a major issue in the state. He castigated Danve for his thoroughly insensitive and callous remarks and the BJP mindset and policies that lay behind it. While calling for a sustained struggle for the realisation of the demands of this convention, he stressed that this can only be done by mobilising the peasant masses in a much bigger numbers and by further strengthening our organisation.

Kisan Gujar in his presidential remarks said that the peasant struggle is reaching a decisive stage from where it must be taken forward with all our strength. He congratulated the AIKS Buldana district activists for making excellent arrangements. AIKS leaders from Buldana Dr Viplav Kavishwar and Jitendra Chopde made the introductory speech and the vote of thanks.

PEHLU KHAN FAMILY RELIEF FUND

One of the highlights of the convention was the on the spot collection of over Rs 10,000 from delegates for the Pehlu Khan Family Relief Fund. A resolution condemning the RSS-BJP cow vigilantes who had killed the dairy farmer from Haryana Pehlu Khan at Alwar in Rajasthan and calling for fund collection was moved by Udayan Sharma and was seconded by Manik Avaghade and Mumtaz Hyder. Adding this to the collection made in the campaign in the districts, the AIKS Maharashtra state council has sent a cheque of Rs 25,000 to the AIKS Centre as part of the All India fund call.

MILITANT RALLY

The statewide Whipcord Rally began in Khamgaon directly after the convention. Brandishing two large whipcords, giving resounding slogans and carrying red AIKS flags, the rally of thousands of peasants marched towards the house of the agriculture minister. As was to be expected, the minister had fled, and was this time on a foreign jaunt. This only angered the rallyists and increased their determination to reach his house. Police had been requisitioned in strength to stop the rallyists from reaching the house. The rally became a focal point of attraction for the ordinary peasants and people of Khamgaon, and also for the entire media.  

The rallyists broke two barricades set up by the police, with whom there was a fierce tussle. Eventually, AIKS leaders Dr Ashok Dhawale, Kisan Gujar, Dr Ajit Nawale, Dada Raipure, Arjun Adey, Umesh Deshmukh, Vilas Babar, Deepak Lipne, Dr Viplav Kavishwar, Jitendra Chopde and many others broke the last police cordon, rushed to the minister’s house and stuck the demands charter there, amidst resonant slogans. The government authorities agreed to arrange a meeting of AIKS leaders with the minister and other officials in Mumbai to discuss the demands charter. The rally then concluded with tremendous enthusiasm.

Almost the entire print and electronic media in the state was present in strength to cover both these novel actions - the Whipcord Convention and the Whipcord Rally of the AIKS.        

MAHARASHTRA AIKS TO ORGANISE WHIPCORD RALLY ON MAY 11, 2017 TO RESIDENCE OF STATE AGRICULTURE MINISTER FOR LOAN WAIVER & IMPLEMENTATION OF SWAMINATHAN COMMISSION

Ashok Dhawale

Mahatma Jotirao Phule had written a celebrated book that was aptly called “Shetkaryacha Aasood” (Whipcord of the Farmer). The Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has begun an Aasood Yatra throughout the state from April 11. The date is historic for three reasons: it is the 190^th birth anniversary of Mahatma Phule; it is the death anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji, whom Phule had hailed as the King of the Peasantry; and it is the 81^st foundation day of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). The Yatra will culminate on May 11 in a massive Aasood Rally of farmers at the residence of the BJP’s state Agriculture Minister, Pandurang Fundkar, at Khamgaon, Dist Buldhana in the Vidarbha region.

This was decided in the AIKS state council meeting held on March 27. After the massive one lakh strong AIKS sit-in satyagraha at Nashik in March 2016; the militant struggle on the issue of drought at the Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner’s office in May 2016; the impressive Coffin Rally to the Thane District Collector’s office to mark the AIKS state conference in June 2016; and the 50,000 strong siege of Adivasi Development Minister, Vishnu Savra's house at Wada in Palghar district in October 2016, which yielded concrete gains for the Adivasi peasantry; the AIKS has now decided to take the farmers’ agitation straight to the Agriculture Minister.

To create public awareness about the rally, the AIKS Aasood Yatra is being taken to all the districts this month. Farmers’ conventions and demonstrations will be held in 24 districts of the state. AIKS state office-bearers have been allotted responsibilities for attending these events, the district wise dates of which were decided in the state council meeting itself.

The government’s neo-liberal anti-farmer policies are responsible for the grave conditions of our peasantry. Both the central and state BJP-Shiv Sena governments are responsible for this state of affairs. Farmers are driven to commit suicide because of this since they are debt-ridden. 12,602 farmers committed suicide in our country in the year 2015. Compared to 2014, this is a massive 42 percent increase. With 4,291 farmer suicides in 2015, Maharashtra under the BJP-Shiv Sena regime tops the list in farmers' suicides in the country.

"If we come to power, we will stop farmers’ suicides by implementing the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission", was the promise given by Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha election campaign. After coming to power, the government blatantly gave an affidavit to the Supreme Court saying that this promise cannot be implemented. This was the biggest betrayal of farmers by the government. The Fadnavis government too had made big promises during the campaign for the Vidhan Sabha elections. After coming to power it has also conveniently forgotten such promises.

The main demands of this Aasood Rally are: Give complete loan waiver to farmers who own less than 25 acres of dry land and less than 10 acres of irrigated land; Provide remunerative price to farmers as cost of production plus 50 percent profit; Implement all the recommendations in the interest of farmers made by the National Commission on Farmers headed by Dr M S Swaminathan; Immediately stop the conspiracy of snatching farmers’ land in the name of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Highway, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor; Hand over forest land, temple/shrine land, pasture land with pattas to the cultivating peasants; Remove the oppressive conditions in the crop insurance scheme and provide comprehensive insurance security to all farmers; Provide pension of Rs 3000 per month to poor and middle peasants and agricultural workers aged 60 and above; Ensure at least 200 days of work and minimum wage of Rs 350 per day to agricultural workers under MNREGA; Give priority to local peasants while distributing water from the several dams built in Adivasi areas; and Make adequate financial provision for irrigation and power.

By taking this Aasood Rally to the residence of the Agriculture Minister, the Kisan Sabha will demand that the government implement the election promises that they had made to our farmers. Thousands of peasants from 24 districts of Maharashtra will participate in the Aasood Rally on May 11, 2017. It will be led by AIKS National Joint Secretary Dr Ashok Dhawale, AIKS former State Presidents J P Gavit (MLA) and Dada Raipure, State President Kisan Gujar, State Working President Arjun Ade and State General Secretary Dr Ajit Nawale.

SECOND STATE CONFERENCE OF ADIVASI ADHIKAR RASHTRIYA MANCH HELD IN SURGANA, NASHIK HELD ON APRIL 26-27, 2017

       

Mariam Dhawale

“There are 12 crore tribals in the country. There is a large tribal population in 170-175 districts in the country. The SECC survey of 2011 has shown that tribals are the most backward sections of society. 65 percent of tribals are landless. The income of 90 percent of tribals is less than Rs 5000 per month. Why has such a situation arisen even after 70 years of independence? This is because of the disastrous policies of successive governments, and the current BJP regime is the worst in this regard.

“Tribals have lived in the jungles and mountains since generations. But they do not have any land pattas. They are branded as ‘encroachers’ and are continuously evicted by the forest and revenue departments. The struggle for land rights is the most important struggle for tribals. Land in jungles is being handed over by the BJP government to the corporates while the Forest Rights Act (FRA) is not being implemented, denying lakhs of tribals their right over their own land. Tribals are being evicted from the forests in Assam, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. But the BJP’s crony corporates like Ambani and Adani have been handed over 7000 hectares of forest land in the last three years.”

INAUGURAL SESSION

It was with these words that Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) national convenor Jitendra Choudhary, MP, inaugurated the second Maharashtra state conference of the AARM that was held on April 26-27, 2017 at Alangun in Surgana tehsil of Nashik district. The first conference was held in December 2013 at Talasari in Palghar district. The second conference was attended by 123 delegates from seven districts. 15 women delegates and a large number of young delegates attended.

The bulk of the delegates were from the two stronger traditional districts of the Adivasi movement in the state, viz. Thane-Palghar (61) and Nashik (42). Other districts present were Nandurbar, Pune, Yavatmal and Nanded. The delegates hailed from seven different Scheduled Tribes in the state, viz Warli, Kokana, Bhil, Pawra, Mahadev Koli, Kol and Kolam. Most of the delegates were working in the AIKS, but there was also good representation from the AIAWU, AIDWA, DYFI, SFI and CITU.

State convenor Barkya Mangat explained the objectives of this conference and welcomed the delegates. A presidium of Ratan Budhar, Dayanand Chavan, Ashok Pekari and Manisha Mahale was elected. Vinod Nikole, Suvarna Gangode and Somnath Nirmal formed the minutes committee.

Jitendra Chaudhury dwelt upon some of the striking achievements of the Left Front government of Tripura. In the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and the MNREGA, the performance of Tripura is the best in the country. Land reforms, all-round help to the peasantry and the spread of education were some of the main steps that made this progress possible. The LF government also encouraged the preservation and enrichment of the culture and traditions of 19 different Scheduled Tribes in the state and set up a separate Ministry for this purpose. The grave danger of extremism and terrorism is being fought politically and the unity of tribals and non-tribals has been maintained and strengthened. To this has now been added the serious danger of the communal forces.

He said that tribals were in the forefront of the freedom struggle in our country and they made tremendous sacrifices. Birsa Munda is a shining symbol of the struggle and sacrifice of tribals. Reservations were included for them in the Constitution by Dr Ambedkar so that they get their share in development. The tribal sub-plan was made to ensure special allocations to the development of tribal areas. But the Modi government has scrapped the concept of plan and non-plan expenditure, thereby burying the sub-plan. Dilution of the Fifth Schedule is systematically taking place to subvert the implementation of PESA.

The AARM, he said, was formed as a platform to oppose the exploitation of tribals in our country, and to pressurise the government to change its policies related to tribals. The AARM has grown and is now active in 15 states. While stressing the need to wage militant struggles on tribal issues, he concluded by calling upon the delegates to steer clear of identity politics that tries to pit tribals against non-tribals and underlined the need to combat communal forces like the RSS-BJP and extremist forces like the Maoists. He hailed the historic Adivasi movement in Maharashtra that has inspired the entire country, and expressed confidence that this movement would advance and expand further in the days ahead.

DISCUSSION ON THE DRAFT REPORT

President of the state committee J P Gavit, MLA, then placed the 16-page draft report before the conference. The report placed the problems faced by Adivasis in Maharashtra. As per the 2011 census, the Adivasi population in Maharashtra is one crore five lakhs. That comes to 9.4 per cent of the total population of the state. Of the total Adivasi population in the country, 10.17 per cent lives in Maharashtra. There are as many as 47 tribes in the state.

The report pinpoints the myriad problems that tribals face, linking them to government policies. They relate to forest land,  irrigation, displacement, employment, minimum wages, migration, food security, severe malnutrition leading to deaths of children, dearth of public health facilities, backlog in jobs, bogus caste certificates, lack of access to education, miserable plight of tribal hostels and hostel-schools and massive under-development of all tribal areas. The report sets out eight tasks.

In the discussion that followed, 20 delegates took part. They recounted the various problems faced by Adivasis and the inspiring accounts of the struggles that they had waged. They focused on the need to intensify the struggles for land rights. They stressed the adverse impact of the infiltration of RSS ideology on tribal culture. Issues of tribal women and increasing atrocities were highlighted. The importance of holding political classes for AARM activists was reiterated by most of the delegates. They gave several suggestions for consolidating work in old areas and expanding work to new areas. After the reply by Barkya Mangat, the report was unanimously adopted.

CONCLUDING SESSION

The conference unanimously elected a 35-member state committee, which also included representatives from all mass organisations. It re-elected J P Gavit, MLA and former AIKS state president (District Nashik) as state president and elected Sunil Dhanwa, currently DYFI state president (District Thane-Palghar) as state convenor. The conference also elected 23 delegates to the All India conference of the AARM to be held at Vishakhapatnam on June 20-22, 2017.

AIKS national Joint Secretary Dr Ashok Dhawale said that this AARM conference was the culmination of three statewide struggles that were organised to highlight the problems of the tribal community. The 25,000 strong rally in Mumbai in May 2015 opposing the inclusion of the Dhangar community in STs and for other burning demands, the 1 lakh strong two-day peasant siege at Nashik for implementation of FRA and other issues in March 2016 and the 50,000-strong two-day tribal gherao of the house of the BJP’s tribal development minister at Wada in Palghar district in October 2016. SFI organised a state level rally of tribal students against the reduction in hostel seats in April 2017.

He said that the two main bases of the Adivasi movement in the state are in Thane-Palghar and Nashik districts, followed by Nandurbar district. In the last few years, work among tribals has spread to districts like Ahmednagar, Pune, Nanded, Yavatmal, Amravati and Buldana. This must expand further to all districts with an Adivasi population and we must emerge as their true champions.

For the immediate future he set out three important tasks. The first was to launch big struggles on the burning problems of Adivasis in each district and to make special efforts to involve new, young and educated sections among Adivasis, who generally remain away from our fold. The second was to inculcate progressive values in the Adivasi masses, protect the positive aspects of Adivasi culture and expose the dangers of communalism, Manuwadi ideology and extremist identity politics. The third was to organise district and tehsil conferences of the AARM and form committees at the earliest.

The conference was also addressed by veteran leader L B Dhangar, who has worked in the tribal belt of Thane district for over 65 years. AIDWA national general secretary Mariam Dhawale addressed the conference. After the speech by Sunil Dhanwa, J P Gavit summed up the conference.

On behalf of the presidium, Ratan Budhar congratulated the Nashik district comrades for having made excellent arrangements to host this conference. The conference ended with great enthusiasm.

CULTURAL PROGRAMMES

Hundreds of tribal youth participated in the competition that was organised on the night of April 26. A large and spirited public meeting was held prior to the competition. Enthusiastic teams from different villages competed with each other for the prizes. Tribal songs using quaint musical instruments, tribal dances with colourful costumes and dramas depicting tribal life continued till late night, making this conference a very memorable event.