Farmers’ strike which had begun peacefully has taken a violent turn in Madhya Pradesh also after police force open fired on them and killed five of them. Peace was disrupted in the BJP ruled state after the incident in Mandsaur. They were shot dead while protesting in support of various demands that include waiver of farm loans, pension for farmers, free electricity. Peaceful turned violent farmers’ protest witnessed burning of vehicles on several national highways in the state. The violence has increased worries of Modi government which had announced to double farmers income by 2022. However, these angry farmers farmers have capacity to put BJP government upside down in 2019, general and states elections. BJP used to make fun of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by addressing him as Maunmohan Singh but now incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence about this issue raises many questions about his party’s inability to address farmers woes and several opposition leaders are addressing him as (Moun)di.
Last week farmers began their strike as they halted vehicles carrying vegetables and milk across Maharashtra and now in MP. Many vehicles were prohibited to enter several cities and other urban areas. Farmers emptied containers of milk and threw vegetables on road as a mark of protest. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state can afford to waive the loans of 31 lakh farmers, who were edged out of the institutional credit system as they didn’t repay loans as politics began over farmers’ plight. As Maharashtra has 1.34 crore farmers, the decision has not gone down well with others. During 2016-17, banks had disbursed farm loan worth Rs 40,000 crore to the state’s 13.7 million farmers. The loan disbursement has been 80% of the overall agriculture credit target which was set at Rs 51,000 crore for the fiscal.
There is no doubt that the farmers of India are not at peace, but which are those farmers who are committing suicide or starving to live? Farmers those striking from past few days are the one who are actually the sufferers. After the first day of the strike vegetable and fruit prices shot up and supply of milk hit across Maharashtra. Farmers’ bodies have given an ultimatum to the BJP government for fulfilling their demands, which include loan waiver, free electricity, better prices for produce, higher price for milk, and implementation of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee recommendations. The agitation commenced on a violent note. Two milk tankers belonging to Warana Dairy in Satara were stoned by farmers as the vehicles were heading to Mumbai. In Manmad, farmers littered the streets with milk packets and hurled vegetables from delivery trucks.
In the temple town of Shirdi, farmers hurled chillies and vegetables onto the streets and torched a truck carrying agricultural produce. The agitation found political support in farmers’ leaders, including Raju Shetti, a BJP ally and president of Swabhimani Paksha. Many states are reeling under agrarian crises and in an unprecedented move; farmers have taken to the streets. But the way they agitated has angered the common man to the people in power corridors.
In Nashik, 17 wholesale markets remained shut. In Niphad taluk, farmers hurled large crates of onions, pomegranates and fruits onto the road from trucks and delivery vans. The police detained 60 farmers in Niphad and Lasalgaon. Police resorted to lathi-charge in some areas of the district to control these violent farmers.
In Osmanabad district, villagers spilt 1,000 litres of milk on the road, evoking condemnation from local authorities. Some groups of farmers in Satara, Kolhapur and Nashik tried to disrupt supplies of milk and vegetables to Mumbai last night as part of the indefinite strike called by various farm sector outfits. Though Mumbai-based traders were not affected by the stir as of now, they fear supplies from production centres across the state would be affected in the coming days if the strike prolongs.
Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Society Ltd, known as Gokul Dairy, alleged in a complaint filed in a police station in Satara that its tanker was attacked when it was carrying milk to Mumbai. Police in several districts have decided to provide protection to milk tankers heading towards the metropolis. In spite of such immature and unreasonable display of protest, the vegetable and fruit supplies have remained largely unaffected in the Navi Mumbai Agriculture Produce Market Committee yard, which supplies produce to Mumbai and some neighbouring districts.
In Aurangabad, the stir took a violent turn when vegetable traders manhandled farmers for asking them to shut their shops. Meanwhile, many farmers emptied milk from containers in large quantities on road in Shioor village of Aurangabad district. In Nashik, the local APMC yard wore a deserted look as farmers did not turn up to auction their agriculture produce. Vegetable markets in Nashik and other parts of the district saw rush of people last night to buy food items before the strike got under way. Farmer outfits spearheading the stir have been demanding waiver of agriculture loans and better price for their produce, among other things.
As part of the strike, farmers have decided not to sell their produce. It’s fine if they do not wish to sell their products, but they should have donated or distributed it to the poor farmers who are committing suicide for one portion of meal to their family. Throwing food grains, milk and vegetables is not the way to address this issue. Striking farmers need to decide what they want to prove? Farmers should carry out their agitation peacefully without causing damage to public or private properties. This is probably the first time farmers have resorted to a strike in the state. Distressed over falling prices of agriculture produce and other issues, farmers have demanded a loan waiver and the state government have sought time for deliberation on the issue.
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