Farmers March in Mumbai: Protesters Reach Azad Maidan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to Meet Them
Morcha general secretary Pratibha Shinde, while speaking to reporters, said they would chalk out the future course of their agitation after meeting CM Fadnavis.
Mumbai, November 22: Farmers protesting under the aegis of Lok Sangharsh Morcha (LSM) reached the Azad Maidan shortly after noon, after embarking upon their foot march from Sion's Somaiya Ground at 5am in the morning. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to meet the delegation of Morcha leaders in the day.
While the accurate count of protesters in Mumbai is yet to be ascertained, reports said nearly 20,000 farmers from 18 districts of the state had convened at Thane toll naka yesterday where they began the protest march.
At the Somaiya Ground, where they camped overnight, State Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan met the farmers and assured them that the government would positively address all their concerns.
The Morcha leadership were, however, aggrieved with Tribal Development Minister Vishnu Savara not reaching out to them despite one of their primary demands being: land rights for tribal farmers.
Among their other demands, include implementation of MS Swaminathan Commission report, which would raise the minimum support prices of crops by 50 per cent; and compensation for farm labourers.
Morcha general secretary Pratibha Shinde, while speaking to reporters, said they would chalk out the future course of their agitation after meeting CM Fadnavis. "Only after the meeting, we will be able to decide whether the government and we are on the same page or not. In the last six months, the government has not even done even two per cent of the works they promised to us," he said.
In March this year, over 30,000 farmers affiliated to the All India Kisan Sabha had staged a long march from Nachis to Mumbai. The protests were called off after 11 days, when the Chief Minister assured to fulfill all their demands -- complete loan waiver, land rights to tribals, crop insurance and pension to farmers above 60 years of age. Despite 8 months after the CM gave an "in-writing assurance", none of the demands have been met, the AIKS said in its recent statement.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2018 01:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).