COVID-19 hits farmers’ movement in Maharashtra

Farmers had gathered from all over the state for a three-day sit-in at Azad Maidan in January. Pic/Ashish Raje

Unlike in some other states, there won't be a Mahapanchayat taking place in Maharashtra anytime soon, due to the rising COVID-19 numbers. The farmer's movement in the state, too, seems to have lost steam-especially in rural Maharashtra-which had been its stronghold in recent months.

Akola, Ahmednagar, and Palghar are just a few of the districts where massive agitations had taken place in recent months, most of them led by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) in coordination with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). Speaking to mid-day, AIKS President Ashok Dhawale said, "At the borders of Delhi, the movement is going on very well. It's not like the movement has lost steam everywhere. But Corona has definitely had some (adverse) impact in Maharashtra, because of the current surge in case numbers."

"There are Mahapanchayats taking place in some states such as Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh where the novel Coronavirus is not such a big problem. However, it is not feasible to hold such Mahapanchayats in Maharashtra currently because of the situation. There are a lot of restrictions and hence we are not thinking of a Mahapanchayat in Maharashtra," he said.

There are currently two massive agitations that are being worked on, said Dhawale. The first call is for students and youth organisations to come forward on March 23 i.e. Bhagat Singh's martyrdom day for a protest against the farm laws, while the second call (by the SKM) is for a Bharat Bandh on March 26. "Both these protests will take place in Maharashtra as well, although the strength may not be so much as in other places," he said.