Kisan mahapanchayat calls for BJP’s defeat in polls

These include a central law to guarantee a ‘just’ MSP and procurement, withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill, removal from the Cabinet and arrest of Union minister Ajay Mishra over the Lakhimpur Kheri deaths, repeal of the four labour codes, an end to “selling off” the country through privatisation, halving the price of diesel, petrol, cooking gas and other essential commodities, doubling the days of work and wages under MNREGA and extending it to urban areas.

The mahapanchayat organisers claimed that peasants, workers, agricultural labourers, women, youth and students of all religions and castes from all over Maharashtra attended the event, which was addressed by Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders Rakesh Tikait, Dr Darshan Pal, Hannan Mollah, Yudhvir Singh, Tajinder Singh Virk, Atul Kumar Anjaan, Rajaram Singh, Yogendra Yadav, Jasbir Kaur Nat, Ashish Mittal, Dr Ashok Dhawale, B Venkat, Medha Patkar, Jayant Patil, Pratibha Shinde, Narasayya Adam, J P Gavit, Dr Ajit Nawale and other farmers’ and workers’ leaders.

Tikait accused the central government of running away from a debate on MSP and other issues. “Several issues related to farming and labour sectors need attention, and we will travel all over the country to highlight them,” he said.

Speaking to the media, Tikait said the central government should bring a law to guarantee MSP. “Otherwise, January 26 (Republic Day) is not far, and 4 lakh tractors and farmers all are there.”

The Shaheed Kalash Yatra of the Lakhimpur Kheri victims, which began from Pune on October 27, traversed 30 districts of Maharashtra in the last one month, visited the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the Chaitya Bhoomi of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the memorial to Shaheed Babu Genu and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on November 27.

On Sunday morning, the Shaheed Kalash Yatra visited Hutatma Chowk, which commemorates the 106 victims of the Samyukta Maharashtra Struggle of the 1950s, and the ashes were immersed in the Arabian Sea off the Gateway of India in a special programme around 4 pm, just after the mahapanchayat at Azad Maidan.

CPM Narasayya Adam also criticised the state government and NCP leader and state Transport Minister Anil Parab over the MSRTC staffers’ strike. Adam alleged that the state transport corporation workers were being oppressed, and if this repression continues the whole of Maharashtra would be shut. “Anil Parab Saheb, we bent Modi, how long will it take to bend you?” Adam said.

Earlier this month, the central government decided to repeal the three farm laws, against which several farmers were protesting for almost a year.