Addressing over 6,000 farmers in Mumbai, the NCP leader says that the Centre doesn’t care for them but there ‘cannot be a compromise on MSP’.
More than 6,000 farmers from across 21 districts of Maharashtra arrived in Mumbai in a convoy of 500 vehicles to begin their three-day sit-in at Azad Maidan in solidarity with the protesting farmers at the Delhi borders.
Addressing a rally at Azad Maidan, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said, “It’s unfortunate that those who are in power don’t care about farmers. The Centre refused the Opposition’s demand to refer these laws to the select committee. This was a way put forward to build consensus. But the Modi government insisted that it should be passed as it was. It is a violation of the Constitution. The process to teach government a lesson has begun through farmers. There cannot be a compromise on MSP.”
The farmers have gathered under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha’s (AIKS) Maharashtra unit. The rally is part of the call given by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is leading the Delhi protests, to intensify and broaden the struggle from 23-26 January. More farmers are expected to join the gathering on Monday. The farmers taking part in the vehicle rally converged at Azad Maidan on 24 January and began a three-day sit-in. On 25 January, a massive rally will be taken to Raj Bhavan and a memo will be submitted to the Governor. On 26 January, there will be a Republic Day flag hoisting at Azad Maidan.
Along with Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat, Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap, and the president of the Maharashtra unit of Samajwadi Party, Abu Azmi, were present at the venue. However, no prominent Shiv Sena leader was present at the venue. The Sena’s youth wing leader, Rahul Londhe, was sent as party’s representative.
“The discussion over the farm laws began when I was the Union Agriculture Minister in the UPA government. We discussed them with the agriculture ministers of all the states. The deliberations remained inconclusive. The BJP government passed these laws without any debate and in a single day in Parliament,” said Pawar. He also said that there won’t be any compromise on the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Referring to the protester’s plan to march to the Governor’s residence, the NCP chief took a potshot at Bhagat Singh Koshyari for heading to Goa, a state he holds additional charge of, at a time when the peasants were looking to submit a memorandum to him against the farm laws. “You all are going to the Governor. But Maharashtra has not seen such a Governor before. He has time to meet Kangana Ranaut but not farmers. He should have been here to speak to you but he is not,” Pawar added.
Thorat, meanwhile, said that the three contentious laws were passed without any debate to facilitate a few industrialists. “We extend support to all farmers protesting for the past two months against the three farm laws passed by the Modi government. The government subjected farmers to water cannons in freezing winters,” he said.
“The laws have been made for businessmen. These laws will not only affect farmers but everyone, as you will have to pay more to buy farm produce,” the Congress leader said, calling the 26 January tractor rally a “massive uprising”.