NUMEROUS activists who were allegedly implicated in the Bhima Koregaon case and are in jail have lent their support to the agitating farmers.
In a statement, they said that though they could not physically participate in the agitation, they were observing a day-long symbolic hunger strike.
They said that the demands were right. The government had drawn a sinister plot with anti-people laws to turn farmers into slaves of corporate giants and the demands made by the farmers were right and just.
The agenda, they said, is to grab land from the peasantry, with the aid of the law, and then make farmers serve masters like Adani and Ambani.
After attacking farmers with water canons in winter, a poor attempt was also made to divide them on the basis of religion; instead of having some discussion with them, it said.
The statement said that Public sector corporations which have been built up with the sweat and blood of countrymen were being gifted to capitalists. On one side, loans-penalties-taxes were being waived-off for capitalists and on the other side, the burden of taxes was being forced on common people. In this symbolic day-long hunger strike, we had to take the decision of not involving Father Stan Swamy and Gautam Navlakha due to their health issues, against their desires. Ignoring health, they were determined to join the protests, the statement said.
It was issued on behalf of Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Anand Teltumbde, Rona Wilson, Hany Babu, Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, Mahesh Raut, Arun Ferreira, Varnon Ghonsalves, Father Stan Swamy, and Gautam Navlakha.