Former Minister and Prahar Janshakti Party leader Bacchu Kadu on Wednesday warned that trains would be stopped at Maharashtra's Nagpur today, October 29, as the farmer protests led by him continued for the second consecutive day. Kadu also slammed the state government, stating that if the state government does not have the money to waive farmer loans, the Centre should step in.
"Now we will stop trains after 12 noon... Our farmers are drowning in debt. If the state government doesn't have the money, the central government should help," Kadu told the news agency ANI.
On Tuesday, Bacchu Kadu brought traffic on Wardha Road to a halt as part of a large-scale protest demanding farm loan waiver and minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce. Kadu has launched the 'Maha Elgar' movement seeking a clean slate on farmers' land records, guaranteed prices for farm produce, a monthly honorarium of Rs 6,000 for persons with disabilities, and justice for shepherds and fishermen.
Driving a tractor him-self, Bacchu Kadu led the rally that reached Nagpur via Wardha Road on Tues-day. The march saw par-ticipation from several prominent farmer leaders, including former MP Raju Shetti, Swabhimani Shet-kari Sanghatana leader, Vamanrao Chatap, Swa-tantra Bharat Party, Ma-hadev Jankar, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Ravikant Tupkar, Rajan Kshirsagar, All India Kisan Sabha, and Prakash Pohare, Kisan Brigade.
A massive gathering of farmers joined the rally from Butibori onwards. A stage had been set up near the Cotton Research Centre at Khapri, but Kadu and his supporters staged a sit-in protest near Jamtha, completely blocking Wardha Road.
As a result, vehicular movement between Nagpur and Wardha came to a grinding halt, leaving hundreds of passenger vehicles and commuters stranded. Addressing the gathering, Bacchu Kadu warned of intensifying the agitation. "For the past several days, we have been pressing our demands through protests, memorandums, and meetings, but the government has deliberately ignored us. Today, farmers, la-bourers, persons with dis-abilities, fishermen, and shepherds from across Maharashtra have shut down Nagpur. We will not move until the govern-ment wipes out farmers' debts," he said.