Now a ‘Kisan Bagh’ in Maha, stirring Shaheen bagh memories

Pune (Maharashtra): At the height of the ‘Bharat Bandh’ a day ago, a small event started in a corner of the city has signalled a long winter of discontent among the farmers and workers in the country.
Taking inspiration from the now legendary Shaheen Bagh-style of agitation last year all over India, several farmers and workers groups joined together to launch a ‘Kisan Bagh’ in Pune, to get justice for the farmers and workers in the country, the organisers said.
The brainchild of veteran social worker Babasaheb Pandurang Adhav, 90, revered as Baba Adhav and many others, the ‘Kisan Bagh’ started on a modest scale with 50 farmers sitting in protest outside the Pune Collectorate for the second day on Wednesday.
“This is the first green shoot From Thursday — the International Human Rights Day — it will start at Konkan Bhavan in Raigad, and later similar ‘Kisan Baghs’ shall come up in all regions of Maharashtra,” Jan Andolan Sangharsh Samiti (JASS) Convenor Vishwas Utagi told IANS.
Though in a nascent stage, Baba Adhav feels the idea will pick up and similar ‘Kisan Baghs’ could manifest across India “as farmers all over are angry”.
“I have taken part in the Independence movement, the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, the Emergency and many other agitations But this is the first time that I have witnessed the urban population coming out in full support of the rural farmers and workers,” Baba Adhav told IANS.