- Ajit Nawale, state president of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha, said that farmers cannot be ignored.
- "This is not a political issue. The government must respect farmers. We have marched more than 100km and will go back only when all our demands are fulfilled," Hindustan Times quoted Nawale as saying.
- Several students are writing the board exams and the farmers said that they continued the march at night so that students reaching the examination centre would not face traffic woes.
"We do not want to put SSC students in any trouble. But we will reach Azad Maidan. Therefore, we have decided to start walking past midnight," AIKS President Com. Ashok Dhawale. #KisanLongMarch
— AIKS (@KisanSabha) March 11, 2018
- Volunteers are said to be helping farmers and distributing food to the farmers.
- A six-member team has been formed to look into the issue
#WATCH: Visuals from Mumbai's Azad Maidan where members of All India Kisan Sabha have gathered to protest. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/3GgN6UMVPB
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2018
- Speaking in favour of the farmers, Rahul Gandhi said that the issue isn't restricted to Maharashtra farmers.
This is not an issue of Maharashtra farmers alone but of farmers all over India: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on All India Kisan Sabha protest in #Maharashtra (file pic) pic.twitter.com/wPcdqYSct0
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2018
- The Aam Aadmi Party has now voiced its support to the farmers
.@AAPMaharashtra stands in support of #KisanLongMarch by thousands of farmers who are marching towards Mumbai with their demands.
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 11, 2018
Maharashtra unit of AAP also urged CM @Dev_Fadnavis to meet all the demands of the farmers. pic.twitter.com/VYfR5pyUaQ
#Maharashtra: Latest visuals of All India Kisan Sabha protest which has reached Mumbai's Azad Maidan. The protest will proceed to state assembly later in the day. pic.twitter.com/Dp5hsKU1Rc
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2018
- Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will meet the Kisan leaders at 2 pm, reported FirstPost.
#WATCH: Visuals from Mumbai's Azad Maidan where members of All India Kisan Sabha have gathered to protest. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/3GgN6UMVPB
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2018
- Several police and security arrangements have been made at Azad Maidan and Vidhaan Bhavan
#FarmersMarch marching to Mumbai's Azad Maidan last night. pic.twitter.com/LLme2Ppc1V
— AIKS (@KisanSabha) March 12, 2018
About 35,000 farmers have reached Mumbai's Azad Maidan as part of the Kisan Long March, which began on March 6 in Nashik. The farmers now intend to gherao the Vidhaan Bhavan in Mumbai, Monday.
The farmers will voice their demands, which include a waiver of farm loans and electricity bills, better compensations for the land bought by the government and implementation of the recommendations of the of the National Commission on Farmers to name a few.
The farmers have been marching in protest for almost a week now and refused to rest even at night to reach Azad Maidan. "The farmers are being accommodated at the now defunct octroi plaza in Mulund (East). They have made their own arrangements for food. We are collaborating with different organisations to provide them with water and medical facilities," the Hindu quoted Akhilesh Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, as saying.
residents through to use LBS Road, Sion-Panvel Road, Thane-Belapur route to reach South Mumbai instead of Eastern Express Highway (EEH).
