Mumbai: When the All India Kisan Sabha march reached Vikhroli on Sunday evening, Mumbai citizens welcomed them, expressed support, and over 100 people even joined the morcha.
Mulund resident Sanjay Sule, 66, a retired clerk, said, “My grandfather was a farmer, and I saw his struggles. It’s a shame that farmers feed us, yet we can’t even meet their basic needs. They should not have to ask for necessities like a ration card and pension: these are rights, which should reach them, and everyone else, on time.” He said he was joining the march as a fellow citizen, to help them.
Girish Dange, 45, a resident of Kanjurmarg, said that he had read about the rally yesterday and had come to watch as it was a holiday. “I’ll join the march till Sion,” he said. “I believe in the leftist ideology and stand by the principles of CPI (M).”
Sunil Deshmukh, 38, said that while he was not a CPI(M) member, he supported it, and would join the march. “Lal Bahadur Shastri said soldiers and farmers are the most important citizens. Forcing them to take out a morcha to get basics is shameful. It is high time our government realises the importance of the farmer.”
“It is such a shame that the farmers have to come out on streets like this,” said Snehal Andhorikar, 33, a home-maker. “We have always been told to respect our farmers and soldiers. With the recent ‘nationalism,’ anti-social elements say that those who don’t talk proudly about soldiers are anti-national. Shouldn’t our government, who have stopped caring about farmers, also be called anti-national?” Ruchita Mitra, 26, an engineer, expressed distress at the sight of farmers walking barefoot. “In such heat and sun, who would come out unless the problem isn’t genuine? A country cannot develop if its farmers are unhappy.”
Families, including women and children, welcoming the protesters with flowers, garlands, biscuits and water. Members of the Tagore Nagar gurdwara distributed flavoured milk and poha to the farmers.
