Maharashtra farmers call off protest as Fadnavis agrees to their demands

Mumbai: Under pressure from the opposition and ally Shiv Sena, the BJP-led Maharashtra government on Monday accepted the demands of agitating farmers, including their right to till forest land, as thousands of agriculturists converged here in a sea of red.

In a significant victory for the farmers who trekked 180 km from Nashik to here over six days under the blazing sun, some even barefooted, the state's Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil said their "all demands" are being accepted.

He was addressing farmers camping at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai in the presence of CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Talking to reporters outside Vidhan Bhawan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "We have agreed to set up a committee to hand over forest land used for farming, to tribals and farmers."

The Azad Maidan turned into a sea of red on Monday as farmers carrying red flags descended there.

The CPI(M)-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha led the protest, where farmers demanded an unconditional loan waiver and transfer of forest land to tribal farmers who have been tilling it for years.

The farmers were also agitating against non-implementation of the Swaminathan Committee recommendation for fixing the minimum support price at one-and-a-half times the cost of production, and the Forest Rights Act, CPI-M leader Ashok Dhawle said.

The farmers were also demanding a change in the plan to link rivers in Nashik, Thane and Palghar districts to ensure that tribal lands are not submerged, and water from the scheme is made available to these areas and other drought-prone districts.

They were also protesting against the state government's land acquisition for projects, including high-speed railway and superhighways.

The opposition Congress, NCP, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and also Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalitions in the state and at the Centre, had extended support to the farmers.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray met the farmers on Sunday.

In November last year, the state government announced a farm loan waiver, terming it the "biggest in Maharashtra's history".

As the farmers braved the sultry weather, the city's famed 'dabbawalas' known for delivering tiffins to lakhs of Mumbaikars with clockwork precision, offered them food and water.