THE Left parties had given a nationwide call for a protest fortnight from June 16 to 30 to condemn the Modi-led BJP central government for the savage and continuous price hikes of diesel, petrol, gas, cooking oil and several other essential items.

The AIKS CKC had given a nationwide call to take up burning local issues of the peasantry in each state and link them up to the fundamental demands of the historic farmers’ struggle.

Extended state committee online meetings of the CPI(M) and the AIKS were held separately in the first week of June. They decided upon the issues to be taken up in Maharashtra, apart from the national demands, and resolved to have state wide protest demonstrations on June 17.

Over 14,117 people at 159 centres in 25 districts of Maharashtra took part in these actions, surmounting the second wave of the Covid pandemic. Of course, Covid protocols were followed everywhere. This was the second such struggle in Maharashtra after the deadly second wave of the pandemic. The first was on May 26, on the day that marked seven years of the disastrous Modi regime, six months of the unprecedented farmers’ struggle and six months after the nationwide general strike. Then also, thousands of people had raised black flags and burnt the Modi regime’s effigies in over 23 districts.

On June 17, the first seven districts in mobilisation were: Solapur – 4062 (four centres), Thane-Palghar – 2530 (eight), Nashik – 2390 (10), Nanded – 1225 (three), Nandurbar – 1000 (one), Ahmednagar – 450 (three), Mumbai – 430 (18).

In the largest action in Solapur, there were arrests and police cases were lodged against 18 leading comrades. They included CPI(M) state secretary Narasayya Adam, CITU state general secretary M H Shaikh, AIKS state vice president Sidhappa Kalshetty, AIDWA state president Naseema Shaikh, DYFI state joint secretary Anil Wasam, former municipal corporators Venkatesh Kongari, Nalini Kalburgi, Shevanta Deshmukh and others.

Some of the major demands of this struggle, apart from a roll back of the fuel price hikes were: increase of the crashed milk price paid to peasants from the current Rs 21 per litre to Rs 35 per litre that they were getting before the lockdown; cheap seeds, fertilisers, sufficient credit and crop insurance on the eve of the sowing season; distribution of ‘khavti’ subsidy of Rs 4000 per month to all poor adivasis as per the decision of the state government; stringent implementation of the Forest Rights Act; waiving of electricity bills during the lockdown period; monthly subsistence amount to all beedi, powerloom and other sections of unorganised workers; regular free grain under PDS and curbing of corruption and black marketing; and increase of pension amount to the aged and the destitute from Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 per month.

From June 15, thousands of ASHA workers all over Maharashtra under the leadership of CITU and some other unions have begun an indefinite strike for their legitimate demands. There have been large rallies in several districts, in which there has been very good mobilisation.

Now preparations are on all over Maharashtra to make the June 26 ‘Save Agriculture, Save Democracy’ call a great success. On June 21 evening, an online state wide meeting of nearly 100 main activists of CITU, AIKS, AIAWU, AIDWA, DYFI and SFI was held to decide on the preparations. The Struggle Committee of Mass Movements (JASS), which comprises over 100 class and mass organisations from various streams, also held an online meeting and fully supported the June 26 call, as also did a meeting of Left and secular parties held on June 21.

There will be a large joint dharna at the August Kranti Maidan on June 26, and the SKM memorandum to the president of India will be submitted to the governor. Large joint dharnas will also be held at most of the district and tehsil centres in Maharashtra.