Fearing the wrath of the angry onion farmers at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Pimpalgoan in Nashik on April 22, the police had detained many farmer leaders and activists, and had even dug up a moat around the rally ground. Further, the police had asked people to not wear black clothes.
PM Modi had held the rally to campaign for Hemant Godse, the Shiv Sena MP contesting again from Nashik and Dr Bharti Pawar, the BJP candidate from Dindori constituency.
After the rally was announced, many farmers and farmers’ organisations had declared that they would protest against the falling onion prices. For the last four years, onion farmers in the region have not been able to recover even their investments. Many farmers had dumped quintals of onions in the garbage or on the roads as they did not have the money to transport the crop to the market or to the godowns.
Also Read: Maharashtra: Offered Merely 20 Paisa per KG, Angry Onion Farmers Halt Auction
When PM Modi had visited Nashik after coming to power in 2014, Hansraj Wadghude, the chief of Swabhimani Shetakari Sanghatana in Nashik, had asked him what he would do for onion farmers. Wadhgude was kept under house arrest by police on April 22.
He told NewsCentral24x7, “Not only I but many workers of Swabhimani were either detained or kept under house arrest. They (police) were afraid that we might create problems at the rally. Modi made many promises — that he would start onion processing units and will give MSP but he did not deliver on his promises. Farmers are angry but they (police) cannot detain us.”
Krushna Dongare, a farmer from Nagarsul, has been sitting on strike, half-naked, for over a month. He has resolved that he won’t end his strike till the current government is out of power. Dongare had sent his clothes to PM Modi on March 7. Yeola police took Dongare into custody on the night before Modi’s rally and released him in the evening. Shocked at the detention, Dongare asked why the government would fear a farmer like him who has no money and power.
Maharashtra accounts for one fourth of India’s total onion production, out of which, Nashik alone produces one third. Per the agricultural department, nine lakh farmers in the district cultivate onion. Nashik produces 3.94 lakh quintal onions. Lasalgoan and Niphad markets in Nashik export onion to other countries and also to other parts of the India.
But for the last four years, the market price of onion has been below production cost. Ashok Kapse, a farmer from Niphad, who cultivates onion on his six acres of land, told NewsCentral24x7, “Production of every quintal of onion needs Rs 1000 investment for seeds, land tilling, fertiliser, pesticides and labour work. But for the last three years, rate (per quintal) of onions has been around Rs 100-1500 and most of the time they are below Rs 1000. Thus every farmer is bearing losses. I produced 100 quintals of onions in the Rabi season but could not sell even half of it as no trader is buying.”
Sampatrao Pawar, a farmer from Lasalgaon, told NewsCentral24x7 that onion used to be a cash crop. “Most of the onion farmers own small lands of about 5-6 acres. Even earlier, onion prices have fallen to Rs 6-7 per kg. But for the last four years, they dropped to Rs 1-2 per kg,” he said, adding, “Farmers here would not commit suicide before. The trend started in the last four years. Two farmers committed suicide in onion godowns. This is worrisome. But both the state and the central government did not try to increase onion rates despite numerous agitations and demands.”
Also Read: Maharashtra BJP Govt’s Aid to Onion Growers a “Cruel Joke”: Opposition
Mahendra Hire, Kalvan Congress chief, was taken into custody at 7 am and was released in the evening after the rally was over. Hire had threatened to disrupt the rally to protest against the government giving subsidy to onion farmers for limited period due to which many farmers could not benefit from it.
The police had dug up a six-feet deep moat around the circumference of the of Krushi Utpanna Bajar Samiti ground spanning 680 acre.
The police had also seized water bottles and lime boxes (chuna that is eaten with betel leaves) before allowing people entry into the ground. Videos of people leaving the event even as Modi was speaking, went viral on social media.
15 minutes into PM Modi’s speech people have started walking out of the venue in large numbers in Pimpalgaon.@IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/oS4DF8W5sV
— zeeshan shaikh (@zeeshansahafi) April 22, 2019
पिंपळगाव बसवंत #नाशिक प्रचारसभेत पंतप्रधान नरेंद्र मोदी यांचे भाषण सुरू होताच निघून चाललेले लोक. नगरलाही असेच झाले होते @SakalMediaNews #Nashik #Dindori #NarendraModi pic.twitter.com/PLhEh1rU6V
— Shrimant Mane (@ShrimantSakal) April 22, 2019
Nandkumar Gaikwad, a police official in the Nashik special branch, refused to give details of how many people were detained or externed before the rally. Another police official told NewsCentral24x7 that all the measures were part of the protocol and no extra precautions were taken.
Nashik votes on April 29.