Only COVID-19 pandemic stopped us from marching to Delhi: Farmers

The state chapter of a national farmers organisation along with a womens organisation on Thursday marched against the Farm Acts recently enacted by the Centre in Wada Palghar The protests come at a time when farmers from Punjab and Haryana holding a dharna at the gates of the capital entered a second round of talks with the Centre Largescale rasta rokos took place in various districts and the farming community expressed solidarity with their counterpartsActivists said women will also lose out due to further digitisation and mechanisationActing on the All India Kisan Sangharsh Committees AIKSCC state chapters call to intensify the agitation against the Kaala Kanoon the Maharashtra unit of the All India Kisan Sabha AIKS along with representatives of the All India Democratic Womens Association AIDWA launched a statewide agitation on December 3Women at the march in Wada taluka Palghar on ThursdayAt Wada taluka in Palghar 500 women members of the AIDWA and AIKS members marched from the latters office to the tehsildars office They chanted slogans like HitlerVitler nahi chala toh ModiVodi bhi nahi chalega Mahilaon ke achchhe din kahaan gayeMariam Dhawale all India general secretary AIDWA explained that the farm bills will adversely affect the farming community especially women Around 74 per cent of the rural female workforce is employed in agriculture Of these only 128 per cent are landowners Hence a majority of the women in agriculture are unseen labour Whenever someone thinks of a farmer they think of a man a woman is not considered a farmer But it is the women who face most problems such as land compensation for widows of farmersDhawale said that the farm Acts provide for the corporate sector or individual investors to directly contact landowners and farmers This increases the problems of women farmers because the land is not in their name They will be excluded from the socalled benefits Also many women will lose out on work due to mechanisation and digitisation which has already increased landlessness and unemployment in the rural sector Dhawale addedDhawale also clarified that the protests in Delhi comprise only of farmers from Punjab and Haryana That the movement is not a panIndia struggle is the central governments attempt to distort facts she said Farmers from Punjab and Haryana are nearest to Delhi which is why they have been able to assemble If there were no COVID we too would have in Delhi there would have been lakhs of us from across the country But it is difficult to mobilise amid the pandemic Dhawale saidNo one will brave water cannons and the freezing cold and travel hundreds of kilometres if they are misled They are convinced that their lives are in danger which is why they are coming Dhawale said Prachi Hatiwlekar Maharashtra state secretary AIDWA said The common people are at the receiving end of the Centres heavyhandedness The protest is by all farmers irrespective of the state they come fromListing the farming communitys demands Hatiwlekar said We want the Centre to not exclude essentials like grain pulses oilseeds etc from essential commodities as it will cause their prices to shoot up and burden women who have to manage householdsAgitation in ShahapurDr Ashok Dhawale working group member AIKSCC and the national president of AIKS who led the agitation in Shahapur tehsil said It is important to understand the dynamics of the farmers protests How can the ruling government say this is not a panIndia movement The AIKSCC 500 farmers organisations and representatives from across the country formed the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha SKM which is leading the struggle74Proportion of the rural female workforce engaged in agriculture500Approx no of women who participated in the marchKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news