Gujarat farmers' leaders arrested ahead of rally to mark high-profile business summit in Gandhinagar

By A Representative
One day ahead of the high-profile Vibrant Gujarat investors’ summit, the Gujarat government has cracked down on the farmers’ leaders attached a non-political organization, planning to stage a symbolic protest rally in the outskirts of Gandhinagar. Their main demands a sharp increase in the minimum support price for cotton. Cotton prices have become a major cause of contention between the Gujarat government and the farmers, who, according to these leaders, are being forced to sell their price which is Rs 500 less than the input cost per 20 kg.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Sagar Rabari, leader of the Sanyukt Khedut Sangharsh Samiti, the joint action committee of three farmers’ organizations, formed for the organizing the protest rally, said, the “Gujarat government today held two of Saurashtra’s prominent farmer leaders – Shivlalbhai Vekaria and Chandubhai Shingala – along with many other farmers, into preventive detention.”
According to a spot-survey carried out by representative of the farmers’ organizations attached with the Sanyukt Khedut Sangharsh Samiti, as against the minimum support price of Rs 800, fixed by the Government of India for a 20-kg cotton bundle, the farmers are being forced to sell their produce in the open market for just Rs 650 or even less. The survey found that the input cost, on the other hand, for producing the cotton is more than Rs 1,150 (click HERE to read).
The state government, apparently, is not taking any chances on the opening day of the summit, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of United Nations secretary-general Ban K-moon, who will be delivering the keynote address. Among others, US secretary of state John Kerry will be present on the occasion, with a likely a defence deal offer with Modi.
Condemning the arrests as “unconstitutional” and “undemocratic”, Rabari said, “Ever since the announcement of the programme of organizing a rally by farmers the central intelligence bureau (IB) and local intelligence bureau (LIB) cops, as also police teams, began constantly tailing leaders of the Sanyukt Khedut Sangharsh Samiti. It was clearly evident that the state government would take all kinds of undemocratic and repressive measures to stop the farmers from carrying out their programme.”
Asking the “democratically-elected government to repose faith in democracy to let the farmers exercise their democratic right to voice their demands”, and “refrain from creating an environment of fear”, it said, apparently, the state government’s intentions appear different. “Rather than listening to the farmers’ agony and distress”, the statement alleged, the state government is “creating an environment of fear and terror, which cannot take the government very far.”
The statement wondered, “If people cannot take their woes to the government, then where will they go?” It added, “The government must come forward to forge a dialogue with the distressed farmers, otherwise the farmers know how to answer even this repression through democratic means.” It characterized the arrests as an “undemocratic, fascist step”.
The statement warned, “The farmers’ movement is not afraid of the repression. This is a farmers’ movement and not of the politicians. Farmers will reach the venue despite their leaders’ arrest”, suggesting, preparations are in full swing to reach the destination, Adalaj, where the rally is to take place, following which the farmers propose to march towards the place where the Vibrant Gujarat summit is being held – Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

Search This Blog