 Date:31/10/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/10/31/stories/2009103153620800.htm Back Opinion - Editorials India’s elections, which in mid-2009 brought 415 million voters to the 1.18 million ballot units in 834,944 polling stations and were mostly peaceful, may be one of the wonders of the world. But it is widely understood that in 2009 the free, fair, and democratic attributes of these elections have been compromised as never before by the large-scale, illegal, and scandalous use of money power — which, to a considerable extent, involved recycled dirty money garnered through corruption in executive and legislative office. The role of the Election Commission of India in curbing booth capturing, intimidation of voters, and some other kinds of electoral fraud has won public appreciation. But as P. Sainath points out in his article, “The medium, message and the money,” published in The Hindu on October 26, 2009, “it is hard to find a single instance of rigorous or deterrent action” by the ECI in the face of such a serious danger to the democratic process. That is a large question that needs to be addressed in depth and in all its complexity by the various players in the political system. The new shame is the extensive and brazen participation of not insignificant sections of the news media, notably large-circulation Indian language newspapers in two of India’s largest States, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, in this genre of corruption — which a politician speaking at a Hyderabad media seminar memorably characterised as a “Cash Transfer Scheme” from politicians to journalists. Sainath’s article exposes the phenomenon of “coverage packages” exploding across India’s most industrialised State during the recent Assembly election. Candidates paid newspapers different rates for well-differentiated and streamlined packages of news coverage. Those who could not or would not pay for the packages tended to be blacked out. The Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists has, on the basis of a sample survey conducted in West Godavari district, estimated that newspapers across the State netted Rs. 350 crore to Rs. 400 crore through editorial coverage sold to candidates during the 2009 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Some candidates even recorded the expenditure incurred in purchasing editorial coverage in their official accounts submitted to the ECI. With some senior journalists drawing its attention to this new-fangled cash transfer scheme in Andhra Pradesh, the Press Council of India has constituted a two-member committee to inquire into the matter. What to do about such a shocking breach of readers’ trust (which is unlikely to be confined to Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra) by the so-called Fourth Estate will form the subject of a follow-up editorial. © Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu |
Friday, October 30, 2009
Journalism for sale-The Hindu
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Maharashtra chief Minister Ashok chavan Gifted Rs.88 crore Land to MPCC chief Manikrao Thakare- Tarun Bharat Nagpur Reports
Nagpur base Marathi daily Tarun Bharat reported today that in rich mining land located in wani assembly segment of yavatmal has been alloted to MPCC chief manikrao Thakare along with recently elected MLA and DCC Yavatmal chief Wamanrao Kasawar .local activist vilas wankhede has got details of this illegal land allotment under RTI act.
This is recent land scam done by most corrupt chief minister who has alleged to have gifted more than 1000 hector mining land to ambani's before the election in same patch of yavatmal district.chief minister ashok chavan has floated all rules and conditions while giving this out of turn allotment of Rs.88 crore land to MPCC chief Manikrao Thakare is matter of misuse of power and corruption
Tatun bharat has asked for details investigation of land allotment to these MPCC chief and local MLA which is matter serious concern.
Friday, October 23, 2009
WHY BJP HERO TO ZERO IN YAVATMAL-TARUN BHARAT DETAIL REPORT
WHY BJP HERO TO ZERO IN YAVATMAL-TARUN BHARAT DETAIL REPORT
Farm activist Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti is livid at the election results. “The Congress contested this election with the ugly tag of 7234 farm suicides in Vidarbha since 2004. But the opposition was on the back foot. The BJP-Sena failed to take advantage of voters’ unrest because of infighting and failure to check the ruling parties’ game-plan to systematically divide the saffron votes,” said Tiwari. “The election was stagemanaged with all major parties sailing in the same boat.
Irrespective of political divide, these leaders are more keen on protecting interests of cash-rich industrialists, builders and not that of the general public. Top leaders of the opposition wanted the same government to return to power so that their business contracts for toll collection, power plants and SEZ continued. But sadly this is happening at the cost of thousands of cotton farmers who died because of the government’s wrong policies,” said Tiwari.
Farm activist Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti is livid at the election results. “The Congress contested this election with the ugly tag of 7234 farm suicides in Vidarbha since 2004. But the opposition was on the back foot. The BJP-Sena failed to take advantage of voters’ unrest because of infighting and failure to check the ruling parties’ game-plan to systematically divide the saffron votes,” said Tiwari. “The election was stagemanaged with all major parties sailing in the same boat.
Irrespective of political divide, these leaders are more keen on protecting interests of cash-rich industrialists, builders and not that of the general public. Top leaders of the opposition wanted the same government to return to power so that their business contracts for toll collection, power plants and SEZ continued. But sadly this is happening at the cost of thousands of cotton farmers who died because of the government’s wrong policies,” said Tiwari.
Irrespective of political divide, these leaders are more keen on protecting interests of cash-rich industrialists, builders and not that of the general public. Top leaders of the opposition wanted the same government to return to power so that their business contracts for toll collection, power plants and SEZ continued. But sadly this is happening at the cost of thousands of cotton farmers who died because of the government’s wrong policies,” said Tiwari.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
VJAS demands C.B.I. probe of Bt.cotton seed massive failure in vidarbha before granting permisssion to Bt.brinjal
Kishore Tiwari in Tarun bharat Nagpur - "GM brinjal should be banned. The country's health is at risk which cannot be allowed," says Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. He also adds, "Many parts of Europe have banned GM foods because of severe health and environmental issues." According to him, all GM activities should be stopped at once.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fate of Bt.brinjal farmers will be of Bt. Cotton farmers –VJAS
Fate of Bt.brinjal farmers will be of Bt. Cotton farmers –VJAS
NAGPUR-18th October 2009
The high power committee decision to give official union Govt. permission farming of genetically modified (GM) crops like the Bt brinjal in the country is vet unfortunate as in fact there are 40 food crop in queue to get GEAC nod after this
Bt.brinjal introduction has resulted in huge cry of Social activists who are protesting the decision of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the biotechnology regulator, to give approval the commercialisation of genetically modified Bt brinjal on Wednesday .
Activist are claiming that GM vegetables would be an environmental disaster and cause diseases, which would be hazardous to human life too asking the government not to act in haste and that there is a need for extensive testing prior to endorsing cultivation of GM crops as Bt brinjal is a transgenic vegetable, which carries a gene called 'Bt' from a bacterium, which releases toxin to kill fruit and shoot borer insects same technology used for Bt. Cotton which has completely failed in west vidarbha as per recent developments in vidarbha .
Vidarbha Janandolan samiti (VJAS) who are monitoring farm suicides in west vidarbha which under on going agrarian crisis and more than 7000 cotton farmers who opted to cultivate bt.cotton forced to kill themselves in last five years after Govt. of Maharashtra permitted commercial trials of Bt.cotton seeed in June 2005 ,
VJAS leader Kishore Tiwari has urged all concern authorities to look at the shocking facts of agrarian disaster after GM technological revolution in vidarbha region known as suicide capital of nation .
Here is table which gives some of shocking facts regarding post Bt.cotton commercial permission
| Record of bt. Cotton performance in since 2005 after commercial trial were given | Area under cultivation of bt.cotton | Farm suicides reported in cotton belt of west vidarbha | Relief package to save dying Bt.cotton farmers of west vidarbha | Percentage of farmers who opted bt.cotton and committed suicide | Sudden increase in pest attack and increase in sale of pesticide | Sudden increase in epidemic and deadly diseases like chikengunia cancer and rheumatic heart deases |
| 2005 | 4 million hector | 456 | Rs.1075 crore CM package to save cotton farmers after Bt. Cotton officially failed | 68% | “lalya” damaged whole crop of Bt.cotton. Pesticide sale increased by 44% | “chiken gunia” killed more than 124 people in west vidarbha and this virus is gifted by Bt.cotton seed |
| 2006 | 8 million hector | 1684 | Rs.3750 crore PM relief package to west vidarbha Bt.cotton farmers | 78% | Mealy bug destroyed the bt.cotton and massive increase in contact and non contact of chemicals pesticides increased by another 32% | Sudden increase in cancer cases in west vidarbha |
| 2007 | 12 million hector | 1460 | - | 82% | Low use of pesticide but yield of cotton not increased | Rise in toxicity in west vidarbha ,more and more cases of critical health care and dieses started reporting in all PHCs .and as per official record hundreds of poor farmers and farm workers are becoming victims of deises that they are dying before being treated. |
| 2008 | 21 million hector | 1290 | Rs.70 ,000 crore loan waiver to control cotton farmers suicides | 74% | Increase in cotton yield by 30% but increase in cultivation cost double ,thanks election year that MSP of cotton raised by 72% and procurement was done by the Govt. agencies . | Alarmimg rise in cancer and other deadly diseases, even affecting cattle and forest in the region . uncontrolled water mining to get maximum yield of Bt.cotton has drop down the water level to 164 meters in the region |
| 2009 | 32 million hector | 820 | Rs.6208 crore extended loan waiver to stop on going cotton farmers suicides | 86% | Very bad year for the cotton most of Bt.cotton already damaged by mealy bug and lalya .Bt.cotton all set to give maximum losses to Maharashtra farmers ,will trigger another spate of farm suicides as farmers expenses are all most double but yield like to be dropped down to 40% | Now there is complete collapse of public health services in west vidarbha each villages there more than two cases of deadly diseases like cancer ,HIV ,RHD Water level in west vidarbha is below 200 meters ,there is no potable water ,fodder and food for the cotton farmers allowing them to kill themselves ,thanks Gm Techology |
VJAS demands ban GM seed trials in
“we have asking the all sensitive people in world please come and see the ground reality of west vidarbha whre farmers are killing themselves due crop failure and debt trap ,if Bt.cotton seed is magic then one should answer the reason of massibe genocide of cotton farmers of vidarbha ‘ Tiwari asked.
Vidarbha Jan andolan samiti (VJAS) has urged theUnion government to withdraw the permission granted to grow genetically modified crops in the country and state as it would lead to increased cancer and toxic diseases, said president Kishor Tiwari
As European countries and
deadly diseases, even affecting cattle which graze on these lands.The radiation from the fields where BT seeds are used will spread upto 10 km and can even make the fertile lands barren, he said. In
and Uttaranchal has followed this idea, he said, urging Chief Minister Maharashtra to declare vidarbha too GM free.
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Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Rising prices could prove costly for DF--The Times of India
Rising prices could prove costly for DF
1.Farmers' leader Kishore Tiwari also said that the spiralling prices of essential commodities and employment were the main issues for the October 13 assembly polls. "The agrarian crisis is an issue, but more than that is the ever-increasing prices of essential commodities and the closure of leading industries in the Vidarbha region,'' Tiwari said.2.He said that while his organisation was emphasising the rehabilitation of some 7,000-odd widows, it was a matter of concern that the economy of Vidarbha had collapsed due to the closure of major industries in the region. "No new jobs have been created. Furthermore, the situation has been aggravated following the closure of existing units. The government was not serious on the job front,'' Tiwari said.
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Rising-prices-could-prove-costly-for-DF/articleshow/5099454.cms
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Whether in Yavatmal, which has the dubious distinction of being the district with the largest number of farmer suicides, Jalgaon, the hometown of President Pratibha Patil, or Nanded, hometown of chief minister Ashok Chavan, the main focus of the opposition is on the complete failure of the government to tackle the spiralling prices of essential commodities and the creation of new jobs.
BJP leader Eknath Khadse, who is contesting from Muktainagar in Jalgaon district, said the people in rural areas have now accepted the fact that they have to live with massive load-shedding. Muktainagar was once represented by Pratibha Patil. "In all my election meetings, there has been no reaction to the power shortage situation, but the villagers are unable to bear the high prices of essential commodities. Whenever we talk of rising prices, there is a response from the electorate,'' Khadse said.
A finance and irrigation minister during the Sena-BJP's rule, Khadse was first elected to the legislative assembly in 1990. "Certainly we are shocked. We felt that the power shortage and agrarian crisis would be the main issues, but at the grassroots level the situation is different,'' Khadse said.
BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said the price of wheat has increased from Rs 9 per kg in 2004 to Rs 18 in 2009, while the increases for rice, sugar, tur dal and edible oil range from 50 to 200% in the same period. "In our opinion, the Congress-led government has not taken stringent measures to contain the prices of essential commodities,'' Bhandari said.
He said that while his organisation was emphasising the rehabilitation of some 7,000-odd widows, it was a matter of concern that the economy of Vidarbha had collapsed due to the closure of major industries in the region. "No new jobs have been created. Furthermore, the situation has been aggravated following the closure of existing units. The government was not serious on the job front,'' Tiwari said.
======================
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
NDTV Correspondent, Monday October 5, 2009, Yevatmal
http://www.ndtv.com/news/assembly/vidarbha_farm_widows_fight_for_change.php
Babytai Bais, a widow with three children, has hit the campaign trail in Vidarbha, which has witnessed the highest number of farmer suicides in the country.Babytai has replaced Kalavati - famous for her Rahul Gandhi connection - as the candidate for Vidarbha Aghadi.
The front has been floated by the farmer's advocacy group Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti and the Shetkari Sanghatna.
As part of campaigning, Babytai holds small meetings to draw villagers including other widows who share her experiences.
"Our seven thousand sisters are unhappy. Their voices should reach out to the government. That's why I am contesting," says Babytai Bais.
She is contesting from Wani in Yevatmal district. Unable to repay a debt of Rs 27,000, her husband killed himself in 2007.
The farmers advocacy group the Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti is hoping her candidature will put the crisis is Vidarbha back in the national spotlight.
"The reason behind suicides by cotton farmers is wrong government policies. No one talks on policies. During election time, the issues are caste, religion, system, money and liquor," says Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti.
Whether or not Babytai stands a chance against established political parties, at least locally, farmers feel this is one candidate who understands what they face.
"They face hardships in farm work. Widows normally work as daily wagers to help kids grow and get them married off. The loan amount also remains to be repaid," says Gajanan Chandurkar, a debt-ridden farmer from Hiwra.
Massive public response to farm widows Bebitai’s poll campaign in Maharashtra
Massive public response to farm widows Bebitai’s poll campaign in Maharashtra
Nagpur-6th October 2009
Door to door farm widows Bebitai’s poll campaign in maharashtra to received massive response from poor and farmers in tribal belt of Zari of Wani assembly segment in Yavatmal district where more than 1600 cotton farmers committed suicides in last five years as victim of on going agrarian crisis .
Bebitai bais is first farm widows contesting election in last 66 years of independence on farm suicide and farm widows crisis issue when Indian Govt. officially confirmed that more than 1,86,000 farmers killed themselves due huge debt and despair and Bebitai is one unfortunate victim of this national calamity .she is fighting this election to draw the attention of Indian policy makers and experts who are claiming the toll picture of Indian economic growth and so called big economic power ,Kishore Tiwari of VJAS informed in press note .
Earlier before starting the door to door poll campaign in interview to national daily ,she clarified her object of contesting election and here are details of her interview
I quote
Babytai Bais, who replaced Kalavati as official candidate of Swatantra Bharat Paksha in assembly polls, promises to wean farmers away from the 'killer' cotton crop and ban liquor in Yavatmal, the district infamous for farmers'suicide. Bais is now being projected as the 'new' face of farm crisis, after Kalavati Bandurkar, who shot to fame after Rahul Gandhi's visit to her house, withdrew from the fray. Bais, in her campaign set to roll out from Wednesday, will stress on rehabilitation of 6,000 other farm widows like her.
Cultivation of cotton is one of the prime reasons for farm suicides, so her poll campaign would include an assurance on pushing for a legislation to ensure food crop on at least 30% of the land holding, said Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS). Tiwari's VJAS, which launched her into the poll fray, has tied up with Sharad Joshi's Swatantra Bharat Paksha. There would be no mudslinging on other parties during the campaign, he said.
"Cotton crop has led to farmers' doom and this issue has been taken up in various forums. Cotton has very erratic price movements. The input cost has gone up 10 times in a decade while the prices have hardly doubled. The climate change does not support cotton growing in Yavatmal anymore. There were no rains in June this year and it poured when the crops reached flowering stage. All these factors eventually lead the farmer into a debt trap," added Tiwari. Instead, there should be stress on growing short-term food crops, like jowar, bajra, pulses and groundnut, he said.
While liquor was not directly related to farmers' suicides, it was a social evil and had led to degradation of social structure in the hinterland, said Tiwari.
Tiwari said that her campaign would extend out of the Wani constituency to other parts of Yavatmal. This was because the candidature was a symbolic gesture to highlight the farm crisis. "With candle as her election symbol, Babytai would be projected as the last candle of hope for the farm widows. Widows in Bodbodhan village from where the election campaign was kicked off had lit candles on October 3," he said.
Bodbodhan village is situated in Yavatmal constituency but has always been in news for suicides. It was also visited by Rahul Gandhi as 18 farmers' suicides have been recorded here. Of these only eight were officially recorded as due to farm crisis, Tiwari mentioned. The campaign took a break due to rains for two days and would once again start from Babytai's village Hiwra Barsa from Wednesday onwards, said Tiwari.
Her candidature has been supported by the Left Front. Sharad Joshi has provided Rs 1 lakh for campaign expenses. During the campaign, volunteers would collect token one rupee from each villager which would be eventually used for the farm widows' relief, he added.
Unquote
“We are trying our level best to see the farm suicide issue should be focused throughout the election and political parties should take it seriously for the long term sustainable solution. No country can allow such mass genocide of farming community now this isuue is beyond the election political arena” Tiwari of VJAS added.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Thousands of vidarbha farm widows to protest Sonia- Rahul gandhi's Wani rally
Thousands of vidarbha farm widows to protest Sonia- Rahul gandhi's Wani rally
Farmer's widow kicks off her Maharashtra poll campaign
It was poignant in its imagery and telling in its impact. A slow procession of widows of farmers who committed suicide in the Vidarbha region in the last couple of years wound its way through rutted village tracks as Bebitai Bais, the first farmer's widow in Maharashtra to contest the assembly elections, began her campaign Saturday.
From correspondents in India, 3 Oct 2009 1:31 PM - (www.indiaenews.com)
It was poignant in its imagery and telling in its impact. A slow procession of widows of farmers who committed suicide in the Vidarbha region in the last couple of years wound its way through rutted village tracks as Bebitai Bais, the first farmer's widow in Maharashtra to contest the assembly elections, began her campaign Saturday.
She will contest for the Wani assembly seat.
The widows' procession to the hamlet of 90 huts -- which got into media spotlight after it saw 18 farmers' suicides in the past few years -- symbolically marked the launch of this brave woman's poll campaign as a candidate of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) and Shetkari Sanghatana, supported by the Republican Left Democratic Front (RLDF).
VJAS president Kishore Tiwari told IANS Both-Bodan village was chosen as it 'represents the heart of the agrarian crisis in eastern Maharashtra'.
In a prepared statement released here, Bebitai said getting elected in the present murky political scenario would be difficult for a poor woman like her with limited resources at her command.
'I was disturbed when Kalavati Bandurkar was forced to step out of the poll race. My aim would be to unite all the 7,000 farmland widows and over 35,000 orphans of Vidarbha whose concerns and problems are common. We must show the world the apathy of the bureaucracy and politicians to our issues and our demand to live a life of dignity,' she said.
Bebitai appealed to the widows and people of Wani to support the cause of the farming community and help her to raise their voice in the assembly.
The Vidarbha farmland crisis was highlighted in 2005 when 118 suicides were officially registered from the region. This prompted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to send agriculture expert M.S. Swaminathan there. He reported in September that year that the crisis was severe.
Four months later, in December 2005, then Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh visited the affected regions and announced that there were nearly 800 suicides. He also announced an aid package of Rs.1,075 crore, but the suicides continued.
In March 2006, the centre sent a team of experts led by Adarsh Mishra which said the crisis was very serious and warranted central intervention.
In June 2006, Manmohan Singh himself visited the region and announced a package of Rs.3,750 crore, of which Rs.850 crore went toward waiver of interest on farm loans and the rest for augmenting irrigation facilities.
In February 2008, the centre announced the historic farm loans waiver package of over Rs.70,000 crore on an all-India basis.
However, Tiwari pointed out that 90 percent of the farmers in Vidarbha did not get any benefit in view of the eligibility clause stipulating a minimum two-hectare land holding.
The suicides have continued unabated. Citing statistics, he said that the suicides were: 440 in 2004, 450 in 2005, 1,640 in 2006, 1,468 in 2007, 1,500 in 2008, and 780 so far in 2009.
'We have decided that this time, a Vidarbha farmer's widow must be elected to the assembly. It will be our way of tribute to the memory of over 7,000 debt-ridden farmers who committed suicide in the region. In September alone, 10 farmers killed themselves in Yavatmal district where over 1,600 people have died so far,' Tiwari said.
He reiterated that VJAS will make a serious attempt to 'empower' the widows and orphans of Vidarbha and a widow elected from here shall be their face in the assembly. 'Even if it means that I have to sell off all my property and belongings,' Tiwari said.
On Friday night, over a hundred widows congregated at Bebitai's native village Hivra and took out a candle-light procession on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.
The Vidarbha region includes Yavatmal, Nagpur, Akola, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Amravati, Buldana, Washim, Bhandara and Chandrapur districts.
The Wani seat shall also be contested by the Congress and Shiv Sena candidates.
India's top 'suicide tourism' destination: Bothbodan
Kiran Tare / DNA
Sunday, October 4, 2009 2:47 IST
Mumbai: Till three years ago, hardly any politician or social worker had heard of Bothbodan, a tiny village in Vidarbha's Yavatmal district. Today, whenever a high profile politician arrives in the district, he ensures that Bothbodan is included in his itinerary. Reason: The village has become the 'poster boy' of the agrarian crisis in the region.
Bothbodan is known as the 'suicide village' of Vidarbha. The village has around 300 households, mostly of the Banjara community. Of these, 18 have seen suicides over the last three years -- a record for any Vidarbha village. The villagers killed themselves due to mounting debt. Their farm land had not produced enough grain, and they did not have money to spend on food.
Their tragedy has 'attracted' many high profile personalities, including Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Maharashtra governor SC Zamir, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Amrutmai Maa, representatives of World Churches Organisation, a fact-finding committee of the Planning Commission, a team from the National Commission of Farmers, and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar.
Bothbodan is so much in limelight that the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) kicked off the election campaign for its candidate, Babtitai Bais, from the village on Saturday, October 3.
"Our objective is to bring Vidarbha's farmer suicides onto the national radar, as the agrarian crisis is getting worse. Every day three to four farmers are taking their lives. The politicians are not paying any attention to the crisis. We want to highlight to the world the apathy of the state administration to the problems of 7,000 farm widows. These widows have a right to a life of dignity and respect," VJAS president Kishor Tiwari told DNA.
A milk scheme started by the state government in 2006 is slowly bearing fruit. As a result of the scheme, the village is producing 700 litres of milk daily. The villagers take the milk to Yavatmal. "Earlier, the banks had blacklisted us. But after a lot of negotiation, Canara Bank agreed to help us. We are trying to find a new way to live," said Balu Chavan, sarpanch of Bothbodan.
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Friday, October 2, 2009
Vidarbha agrarian crisis face-Bebitai to start election campaign from ‘Rahul Gandhi’s BothBodan village
Vidarbha agrarian crisis face-Bebitai to start election campaign from ‘Rahul Gandhi’s BothBodan village
Both Bodan -Village known for maximum 18 farm suicides in the world and visited by India’s de-facto Prime Minister Prince Rahul Gandhi and village pathetic condition witnessed by Shiri Shri Ravishankarji, Amrutmai Maa and World Churches Organization-Cherihas along with fact finding committee of planning commission,team of National Commission of Farmers and then Rural Development Minister Manishakar Aiyer is spot from where first India farm widow ,the face of vidarbha agrarian crisis Babtitai Bais will start it’s election campaign from 3rd October 2009 in the presence of national and international media ,Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti president Kishore Tiwari informed today.
“our object is bring vidarbha farm suicide issue on national radar as agrarian crisis in the region are getting worst and daily three to four farmers killing themselves but politician and executives are not attending the crisis. we want show the world hostile functioning state administration and apathy of babus towards the burning problems of 7000 farm widows who are demanding right to live with dignity and respect” Tiwari said.
“Yes getting elected is not possible in the present political system but I was disturbed when Kalavati was forced to opt out from the poll .we are all vidarbha farm widows united , will use this platform to raise our voice for justice. when wife ,son,daughter and even peon of political leaders can contest the election then to bring focus of national issue like food crisis ,one farm widows is contesting the justified to present condition of vidarbha” Babitai bais added in press release.
Shetkari Sanghatana supremo and founder of agrarian movement in Maharashtra Sharad Joshi M.P. and VJAS leader kishore tiwari are also attending the histrorical moments of bothbodan .
“yes we are having lot of differences on economic policies but we are one on one demand that ‘save farmer –save vidarbha’.we urging all farm activist to come together at the time crisis when farmers killing themselves in lacs.we want to change corrupt political and executive system and we also understand only mass movement can do it hence this alliance” Tiwari added.
