9 years ago
Mumbai:
The roads leading to Mumbai turned into a sea of red as thousands of farmers marched around 180 kilometres - from Nashik to Mumbai - over the last six days. Tribals and farmers joined the protest in large numbers along the way, and according to the organisers, their numbers have increased from around 20,000 when they started six days ago to 50,000 at present.
Congress, NCP, Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navanirman Sena and Shiv Sena, a part of the alliance ruling Maharashtra, have come out in support of the farmers.
The farmers plan to gherao the Maharashtra state assembly demanding complete loan waiver, fair pay and transfer of adivasi land to farmers who have been tilling it for years. They also want to implement the Swaminathan Committee report, which says farmers should be paid one-and-a-half times the cost of production and the Minimum Support Price should be fixed keeping this in mind.
The protesting farmers, camped at the KJ Somaiya Ground in central Mumbai's Sion, started moving towards south Mumbai's Azad Maidan last night. They reached south Mumbai's Azad Maidan around 5am this morning. Locals in Mumbai distributed food and water among other things to the protesting farmers. Packets of biscuits, snacks and water were pressed into tired hands. Many had come with boxes of footwear, moved by images of calloused, blistered and even bleeding feet.
Congress, NCP, Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navanirman Sena and Shiv Sena, a part of the alliance ruling Maharashtra, have come out in support of the farmers.
The farmers plan to gherao the Maharashtra state assembly demanding complete loan waiver, fair pay and transfer of adivasi land to farmers who have been tilling it for years. They also want to implement the Swaminathan Committee report, which says farmers should be paid one-and-a-half times the cost of production and the Minimum Support Price should be fixed keeping this in mind.
The protesting farmers, camped at the KJ Somaiya Ground in central Mumbai's Sion, started moving towards south Mumbai's Azad Maidan last night. They reached south Mumbai's Azad Maidan around 5am this morning. Locals in Mumbai distributed food and water among other things to the protesting farmers. Packets of biscuits, snacks and water were pressed into tired hands. Many had come with boxes of footwear, moved by images of calloused, blistered and even bleeding feet.
