20 Mumbaikars join Dandi-Delhi 'Soil Satyagraha' for farmers

At least 20 persons from Mumbai have joined thousands more from all over India in the unique DandiDelhi Mitti Satyagraha initiative intended to express solidarity with the farmers agitating outside Delhi since the past nearly four months activists said here on ThursdayThe Soil Satyagraha is an enactment of the historic Dandi Yatra launched from Ahmedabad to Dandi 390 km away by Mahatma Gandhi culminating in the Salt Satyagraha 91 years ago March 12April 5 1930At that time the Satyagraha was against the oppression of the British rule This time it is to highlight the insensitivity of the present Central government to the cause of the farmers workers and common masses Feroze Mithiborwala one of the participants from Mumbai told IANSMaking it special the processionists on the DandiDelhi route and other parts of India collect the local soil from all villages districts regions and states as the march traverses from around two dozen states and Union Territories he saidThe soil symbolises Mother Earth who provides us food through the toiling farming community whose existence and livelihood are now being threatened by the crony capitalists and megacorporates We shall present this soil to the farmers protesting on all the points outside Delhi another participant Dr Sunilam saidThe soil will be mixed as a sign of national integration and later a Shaheed Smarak Martyrs Memorial will be constructed with it outside Delhi as a mark of respect to the 350odd farmers who lost their lives in the past four months the activists addedOn April 6 morning like Gandhiji breaking the unjust Salt Act of the British by picking up a fistful of salt we will take a pledge with the soil in our hands and challenge the antifarmer and antilabour laws of the government said participant Guddi SLSupported by Samyukta Kisan Morcha constituents Tushar Gandhi the greatgrandson of Gandhiji other prominent participants include crusaders like Medha Patkar Odisha environmentalist Prafulla Samantra Anhads Shabnam Hashmi and many more from different parts of IndiaMithiborwala said that this is also the centennial of Mahatma Gandhis launched epochal Non Cooperation Movement 19201922 challenging the might of the British Empire which resulted in Indias Freedom after barely 27 yearsJust as a century ago the countrys streets towns and villages had reverberated with Gandhiji peaceful challenges to the tyranny of the British rulers there is a similar wave now all over India with the historic farmers agitation outside Delhi at Singhu Tikri Ghazipur and Shahjahanpur he saidThe Mitti Satyagraha was launched in two phases first from March 1228 as a decentralised movement of farmersworkers protesting the privatisation policy of the Bharatiya Janata Partyled government at the CentreIn the second phase from March 30April 6 the satyagrahis from all over India are carrying urns containing the soil collected from the remotest parts of the country to Delhis outskirtsAn average of 50 satyagrahis are coming to Delhi from all statesUTs by April 5 evening The next morning April 6 emulating Gandhiji we shall take a united pledge with Indias soil in our hands and defy the antifarmers and antilabour laws being implemented said MithiborwalaThe organisers along with the SKM leaders plan to construct the Shaheed Smarak memorial outside Delhi before the agitating farmers leave the spot to return to their fields after their inevitable victoryThe soil ingrains in us the feeling of selfreliance selfrespect its represents our existence and identity The farmers movement is poised to repeat the history of our glorious freedom struggle he pointed outEn route the organisers said people give enthusiastic welcome to the Satyagrahis voluntarily bring fistfuls of the local soil and many pledge their support in the form of signing a white sheet which the processionists are carryingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever