Fifty farmers arrested in Gujarat: Bhavnagar collector refuses to accept memo to PM citing swine flu

Sabar Rabari

By Our Representative
In an unusual development, about 50 Gujarat farmer activists, who had gone to the district collector, Bhavnagar, to lodge their protest against the new Land Acquisition Ordinance, were arrested for seeking to create “trouble.” Belonging to the Gujarat Khedut Samaj (GSM), the activists were led by Virjibhai Jasani, Damuben Modi, and Bharatsinh Vala, the memorandum was not accepted citing the prevalence of swine flu in Gujarat as the reason.
This was part of the state-wide campaign in Gujarat by the GSM, under which farmers from nearly 150 talukas simultaneously submitted memorandums to mamlatdars of the talukas to be sent to the Prime Minister and the Union Minister for Rural Development. As part of the protest, they burnt copies of the Ordinance.
It is not known why the state government decided to act like this in Bhavnagar. In this district, farmers have in the recent past held protests against two major projects -- the Nirma Cement Plant in Mahua, and the proposed nuclear power plant in Midhi Virdi.
Calling it “administrative goof up”, GSM leader Sagar Rabari said, the administration seems to think that people are fools and will accept the logic for not accepting the memorandum in Bhavnagar – prevalence of swine flu. Wondering whether to it is “a death-knell for democracy”, he said, the memorandum, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was also part of the national protest, begun in Delhi against the Ordinance.
“In the national capital, various farmer organisations have been meeting. A 5,000-strong contingent of Adivasis is marching from village Palval to Jantar Mantar under the leadership of P V Rajagopal. The farmer organisations of Gujarat are supporting this and if needed will join in the national programmes”, Rabari said.
Rabari further said, “The new government at the Centre has been used to governance through government resolutions (GRs) and has now initiated the era of governance through Ordinances through ordinances on land acquisition laws, environment laws, labour laws.”
“There is a movement afoot at the national level also under the stewardship of Anna Hazera and P V Rajagopal against the ordinance and the various farmer organisations in Gujarat have also been coordinating with them. If and when needed, the farmers of Gujarat will join the national level struggle”, Rabari said.
“If the government goes ahead into enacting the amendments of the ordinance into law, by calling a joint session of parliament, then the farmer organisations along with other social and civil society groups in Gujarat will initiate a strong movement against the government in coordination with other state-level organisations in other states and national level bodies”, he warned.

Comments

Anonymous said…

This is very unfortunate indeed!

February 25, 2015

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar* Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

Kerala government data implicates the Covid vaccines for excess deaths

By Bhaskaran Raman* On 03 Dec 2024, Mr Unnikrishnan of the Indian Express had written an article titled: “Kerala govt data busts vaccine death myth; no rise in mortality post-Covid”. It claims “no significant change in the death rate in the 35-44 age group between 2019 and 2023”. However, the claim is obviously wrong, even to a casual observer, as per the same data which the article presents, as explained below.

PM-JUGA: Support to states and gram sabhas for the FRA implementation and preparation and execution of CFR management plan

By Dr. Manohar Chauhan* (Over the period, under 275(1), Ministry of Tribal Affairs has provided fund to the states for FRA implementation. Besides, some states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra allocated special fund for FRA implementation. Now PM-JUDA under “Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan(DAJGUA) lunched by Prime Minister on 2nd October 2024 will not only be the major source of funding from MoTA to the States/UTs, but also will be the major support to the Gram sabha for the preparation and execution of CFR management Plan).

Operation Kagar represents Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism: Resistance continues

By Harsh Thakor Operation Kagar represents the Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism, which claims to embody the struggles and aspirations of Adivasis. Criminalized by the state, the Maoists have been portrayed as a threat, with Operation Kagar deploying strategies that jeopardize their activities. This operation weaves together economic, cultural, and political motives, allegedly with drone attacks on Adivasi homes.

How Amit Shah's statement on Ambedkar reflects frustration of those uncomfortable with Dalit assertion, empowerment

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Dr. B.R. Ambedkar remains the liberator and emancipator of India’s oppressed communities. However, attempts to box him between two Brahmanical political parties betray a superficial and self-serving understanding of his legacy. The statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha was highly objectionable, reflecting the frustration of those uncomfortable with Dalit assertion and empowerment.

This book delves deep into Maoism's historical, social, and political dimensions in India

By Harsh Thakor* "Storming the Gates of Heaven" by Amit Bhattacharya is a comprehensive study of the Indian Maoist movement. Bhattacharya examines the movement's evolution, drawing from numerous sources and showcasing his unwavering support for Charu Mazumdar's path and practice. The book, published in 2016, delves deeply into the movement's historical, social, and political dimensions.

Ideological assault on dargah of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti will disturb pluralistic legacy: Modi told

Counterview Desk Letter to the Prime Minister about "a matter of the utmost concern affecting our country's social fabric": *** We are a group of independent citizens who over the past few years have made efforts to improve the deteriorating communal relations in the country. It is abundantly clear that over the last decade relations between communities, particularly Hindus and Muslims, and to an extent Christians are extremely strained leaving these latter two communities in extreme anxiety and insecurity.

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

Search This Blog