Farmers from Mahuva affected by the construction of the factory in the water reservoir that provides water for irrigation, fishermen from Mundra and farmers from Bhal are amongst those who have joined in the 350 km march till Vidhan Sabha in Gandhinagar on March 17.
In a surprise of sorts, thousands of local people are reported to have joined in the padyatra (foot march) that started from the Nirma cement plant in Doliya village in Bhavnagar on Thursday morning.
Farmers from Mahuva affected by the construction of the factory in the water reservoir that provides water for irrigation, fishermen from Mundra and farmers from Bhal are amongst those who have joined in the 350 km march till Vidhan Sabha in Gandhinagar on March 17. On Thursday itself, the crowd walked a distance of 33 km.
The march was led by Mahuva's BJP MLA Dr Kanubhai Kalsariya, and joined by former finance minister Sanat Mehta, 94-year-old Gandhian Chunibhai Vaidya, Youth Congress president Indravijaysinh Gohil and several other activists.
Significantly, this is the first totally people's movement against the state government's industrialisation policies for which they are acquiring farm land for industries.
With a slow start at 8 am, the crowd snowballed by late morning when thousands of men, women and children joined in.
By mid-day, when Dr Kalsariya addressed a major gathering at Vadli in the afternoon, they together pledged not to return home till they reach Gandhinagar. Another major public gathering was held at their night halt in Rohisa village.
"Along with the issue of Nirma cement on the water body, the farmers are raising fundamental issues such as blind industrialisation at a cost of agricultural and agro industries selling of common resources such as water body, grazing land, forest to the industries in Gujarat in the name of development. The farmers of Mahuva say that the model industrial development adopted by the Gujarat government in the last 10 years does not symbolise vibrant Gujarat," Dr Kalsariya said.
According to sources, before the yatra started, the state government was not taking it very seriously, but as soon as reports of the response generated trickled into Gandhinagar, top ministers in the Modi administration are reported to have called up leaders to abandon the yatra. 95% of the walkers are farmers and some others are from related industries.
"It must be noted that nobody is paying them to join in this fortnight-long yatra, they are joining in for the cause they believe in, and some are even ready to lose their daily wages," said a city-based lawyer and activist and one of the padyatris, requesting anonymity.
Sources in the yatra said that food and overnight stay arrangements were made only for 5,000 people, but despite the inconveniences, women with children also slept in open fields on Thursday night at Rohisa village.
"After walking, around 250 women were pushed to cook for all the participants. The yatra is getting aggressive and people are charged. We are in fact scared now with the response. At least five vehicles-full of people are expected to join from Navsari tomorrow," the source said.
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