Why Maharashtra Farm Groups Are Absent On Delhi Chalo?
As the protesting farmers resume the Delhi Chalo march on Wednesday, the absence of farm leaders and farmers from Maharashtra are gaining attention. Though leaders such as former MP Raju Shetti who played a remarkable role in the farmers” protests in 2020 are supporting the agitation, they are not physically partaking the march by traveling to the protest site.
The Indian Express in their report stated that one major reason why farm leaders from Maharashtra are evading the agitation lies in the state”s historical support for free market principles and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The late farm leader and founder of the union Shetkari Sanghatana, Sharad Joshi had favoured open market economics for the the welfare of the farm sector. Anil Ghanwat, heading the political wing of the Sanghatana, delineated their decision to refrain from the protest due to a misalignment with their ideological stance, especially their demand for WTO withdrawal. One of the demands of the second edition of farmers agitation is that India should withdraw from the WTO and freeze all free trade agreements (FTAs).
Though Raju Shetti has provided support to the strike, he decided not go to Delhi to participate in the protests. “One of the demands of the farmers is to make the government-declared Minimum Support Price (MSP) legally binding to trade. I support the same,” Raju Shetti told Indian Express.
Meanwhile, sources close to Raju Shetti revealed that lack of dialogue on part of the Punjab farmers and the strategies adopted by them to fight for their demands were the major reasons behind Maharashtra farm outfits absence from the protest. “Last time, we were caught unawares when farmers stormed into the Red Fort,” sources report. At present, the former MP is focusing on retrieving the Hatkangale Lok Sabha seat in Kolhapur, which he lost in 2019.
However, Anil Ghanwat said that MSP can”t be made legally payable since it goes against the basics of market economics. “Back in 2018, when the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis decided to make non-payment of MSP a punishable offence, traders boycotted market committees. Without a robust alternative to the mandis, we can”t make MSP payable as a legal binding on the trade, Ghanwat told Indian Express.
