THE kisan struggle that began on November 26, 2020, has been the largest, the longest and the most powerful nationwide farmers’ struggle in the history of independent India. This struggle has several distinctive features.First, it is led by over 500 farmers’ organisations in the country, who have united under the platform of Samyukta Kisan Morcha(SKM).

AS a follow up of the historic kisan long march from Nashik to Mumbai from March 6-12, 2018, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) called for a kisan vijay (victory) march in Kalwan, about 70 km north of Nashik, close to the border with Gujarat, on April 2. I travelled to Kalwan to be part of the march.Kalwan was awash with red. The local police estimated, I learnt, that between 25,000 to 30,000 farmers attended. The Kisan Sabha had erected a large pandal with a stage on one side. This pandal couldn’t have accommodated everybody, and so they spilled out on all sides.

ON October 3-4, 2016, over 50,000 adivasi peasants, women, youth and students from various tribal districts of Maharashtra held a gherao of the house of the BJP tribal development minister at the sub divisional centre of Wada in Palghar district. The struggle was jointly led by the AIKS, AIDWA, DYFI, SFI and AARM.

More than sixty thousand cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) courted arrest for picketing across the state condemning the anti-people policies of the state and central governments on February 7.The protesters demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the families of farmers who had committed suicide due to drought in the Cauvery Delta. They also demanded compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre for paddy, Rs 50,000 per acre for banana, plantains and Rs 75,000 per acre for sugar cane farmers as drought relief.

Lakhs of people came out into the streets on November 28 to protest against the BJP government’s attack on their livelihoods and the burdens imposed upon the people through the withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. Below we publish reports from the states.  KERALAA protest march was taken out by the LDF in Trivandrum against the government's demonetisation policy which has created cash crisis in the country. Kerala government has been in the forefront of the struggle and has demanded that cooperative banks be allowed to exchange notes.