1,500 km from Singhu border, celebrations erupt in Maharashtra

By Quaid Najmi

Mumbai, Nov 19 (IANS) Nearly 1,500 km away from the epicentre of the year-long farmers' agitation, celebrations erupted in Maharashtra on Friday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi abruptly announced the yanking off of the three contentious farm laws, taking the nation by surprise akin to the demonetisation broadcast-blast.

Farmers and local leaders trooped out in places like Sangli, Palghar, Thane, Nashik, Satara, Kolhapur and other places to cheer the Prime Minister's declaration -- coming barely a week before the upcoming first anniversary of the peasants' protests -- by lighting fireworks, distributing sweets, dancing, hugging each other with joy, playing drums, offering thanksgiving prayers, and general revelry.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, currently convalescing, could not contain his excitement and said the farmers who are the breadwinners of the country deserved "3 Salutes" after their long struggle ended in victory.

"I welcome PM Modi's announcement on Guru Nanak Jayanti. There was an atmosphere of strong opposition to the 3 laws all over India. But the breadwinners, who were victimised, showed their strength," Thackeray said.

Chiding the Central government, he said the government should take into confidence all stakeholders including the Opposition before taking such decisions, and this would have prevented the "humiliation" of today.

Thackeray, the Shiv Sena President, also expressed optimism that the technicalities of the repeal process of the laws would be expedited since "the farmers' agitation has still not ended".

Maha Vikas Aghadi ally and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)president Sharad Pawar said he "salutes" the spirit of the peasants who braved the heat, cold, rains, labelled as 'terrorists' and inflicted other forms of humiliation, with many lives lost, but they finally achieved victory.

"The government rushed through the bills in Parliament without heeding to the Opposition demands for discussion... The government will have to pay the price for its mistakes... Elections are coming to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and people were bound to question them on the three farm laws," Pawar pointed out.

"We said in Parliament that agriculture is the soul of this country and economy... to solve the problems of hunger, and it (3 laws) must discuss in details while enacting the laws relating to the famers," Pawar said.

State Congress president Nana Patole said that it was the fear of defeat in the coming elections that forced the "arrogant and dictatorial" government to bow before the united strength of the farmers.

"Not only the elections, the growing disenchantment among the masses has brought the BJP government to its knees. They are withdrawing the 3 laws. It is a historic victory for the farmers' struggle. But the BJP will have to face the consequences," Patole warned.

He said, in Maharashtra, the Congress had collected over six million farmers' signatures and sent a memorandum to the President, the peasant protested on the border for a year under trying circumstances, but the Prime Minister had no time to meet them though over 700 lost their lives.

Patole said after the recent string of defeats in bypolls, the BJP reduced the petrol-diesel prices, now the farm laws, but the battle ahead will continue for other farmer-centric issues also.

Shiv Sena's farmer-face and Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Samiti President Kishore Tiwari -- accorded an MoS status -- said that after the 12-month long struggle, the farmers and people of the country have understood the "real motives" of the BJP government and how it is working for a handful of big industrialists.

"Hundreds of farmers have been martyred to the cause. The country has lost faith in the Narendra Modi government, they will show the BJP its place in the next elections. The historic agitation has served its purpose, the government has suffered a huge setback," Tiwari said.

However, he said that the unending farmers suicides will not end -- Maharashtra being the highest in the country, as per official data -- till the BJP government takes this opportunity to bring about fundamental changes in the existing setup to genuinely benefit the peasantry as a long term solution to the end bloodshed in farmlands.

Top leaders of MVA from Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress, Samajwadi Party, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, All India Kisan Sabha, farm activists and others have hailed Modi's move, urging that now "it's time to get back to business" and do something long-lasting for the cause of the country's ryots.

Incidentally, Maharashtra had contributed by sending several bus-loads of people at various intervals to the farmers protesting outside Delhi borders, and many top leaders visiting and addressing.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: [email protected])