Central Executive Committee of All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha, AIKMS has condemned the Maharashtra govt. for firing with pellet guns on peasants of Shevgaon in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra yesterday grievously injuring two farmers. Firing on patriotic farmers is an anti national act and AIKMS has demanded immediate arrest of all guilty officials

AIKMS has also called upon all farmer bodies to come out in protest against the anti peasant, pro corporate policies of the Modi led BJP-RSS govt. which is hell bent on ruining peasant’s income to help companies earn more.

The peasants of Maharashtra have been demanding Rs 310 per quintal while the state govt. is adamant to pay only Rs 250. The Central Govt. has declared a Fair and Remunerative Price, FRP of Rs 255/q which is about the average cost of production for sugar cane in Maharashtra. BJP had earlier demanded Rs 340/q as price of sugarcane, but is again betraying the peasants.

While the cost of cultivation has continuously risen due to high cost of diesel, fertilizer, seed and insecticides, sugar cane prices have remained almost stagnant for last few years.

In Maharashtra and Karnataka mills claim that they will initially pay FRP and later on after 70% realisation of sugar sale and 5% realization of sale of by-products, they will calculate how much more they will pay.

Sugar mill owners of Maharashtra play a determining role in formation and policies of the state govt. and the govt. is unwilling to pressurize them.

The stand-off between the peasants and the sugar mill was continuing and rising for last over one week with peasants in Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur staging road blockades and the police baton charging them.

Present firing took place after SSP Ranjan Kumar Sharma arrested 13 leaders of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan, SSS and the protesting peasants came out in larger numbers. In reaction the police lobbed tear gas shells and fired with pellet guns, grievously injuring Uddhav Mapari (32 years) and Baburao Dukare (45 years).

 To divert attention the BJP is claiming that the protest was not spontaneous but orchestrated by naxal supporter organisations, without explaining why it is unwilling to fulfil its promise to peasants.  It is using pellet guns to repress on farmers, as it has done in Kashmir also.