Surat : About two dozen farmers detained over peaceful protest during Gramin Bharat Bandh

Surat : The police arrested more than two dozen farmer leaders from Surat district for participating in a peaceful demonstration on Friday morning, which was organised as part of the Gramin Bharat Bandh initiated by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the central trade unions.

Darshan Naik, a farmer and co-operative leader in Surat, spearheaded the demonstration, accompanied by Ramesh Patel, the president of South Gujarat Khedut Samaj.

Over 150 farmers from different villages in Olpad taluka convened at Delad Patiya for a nonviolent protest, but were subsequently dispersed by the authorities.

“The Surat administration seeks to stifle our expressions,” Naik said. “Our constitutionally guaranteed rights to engage in peaceful protest have been unjustly taken away.” The Gramin Bharat Bandh in Surat district had a satisfactory outcome as the farmers refrained from engaging in agricultural chores on Friday.

Farmers have reported that the agriculturalists from Punjab and Haryana have been engaged in a three-day struggle, advocating for the collective benefit of the farming community in India. The Modi administration was accused of lacking interest in implementing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee based on the Swaminathan formula of C2+50, which ensures a minimum viable price for agricultural products by considering the input cost of capital plus 50%.

“In contrast to Punjab, Haryana, and other states, farmers in Gujarat are experiencing financial distress due to multiple factors,” said Patel. “The BJP government in Gujarat restricts the farmers from expressing their opinions.”

The Gramin Bharat Bandh is a countrywide strike organised by the SKM and the central trade unions to express their opposition to the government’s agriculture policy. The strike has garnered support from agricultural associations, labour unions, and civil society organisations nationwide.

The farmers are advocating for many demands, which include the revocation of the three farm laws, an enforceable assurance for Minimum Support Price (MSP), the implementation of a pension programme, and a decrease in input costs. In addition, they strongly object to the government’s policies on land acquisition, power, and sugarcane pricing.