Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Maharashtra, held a successful Statewide Land Rights Convention on May 13 at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), issuing a powerful call for mass mobilisations on June 1 at district and tehsil headquarters across the state. The protests will focus on urgent land-related issues including the transfer of lakhs of acres of forest, temple trust, inaam, pasture, and other lands to the names of actual tillers, and an end to the arbitrary and unjust land acquisition practices of the BJP-led central and state governments for elitist infrastructure projects.
The convention was hosted in a hall named after Krantisinh Nana Patil, the former AIKS National President and legendary leader of the Satara Parallel Government during India’s freedom struggle (1943–46). Over 500 delegates from 18 districts, including a significant number of women, filled the venue to capacity.
The session began with the flag hoisting by AIKS National President Dr Ashok Dhawale, followed by floral tributes to martyrs and a condolence message for innocent civilians killed by terrorists in Pahalgam and in subsequent shelling at the India-Pakistan border.
AIKS National General Secretary Vijoo Krishnan inaugurated the convention and elaborated on the national perspective of the land question. He praised AIKS’s legacy of anti-feudal struggles, particularly in the 1940s, and sharply criticised the current corporate-government nexus that is grabbing land from poor farmers under the guise of development.
The main resolution on land issues in Maharashtra was presented by AIKS State General Secretary Dr Ajit Nawale and seconded by AIKS State President Umesh Deshmukh. The resolution, outlining key demands and action points, was distributed to all delegates in printed form.
Speeches by 14 grassroots delegates from across Maharashtra highlighted local land struggles and demands, drawn from their lived experiences and activism. These included references to historical agitations such as the Warli Adivasi Revolt (1945–47) and the 2018 Kisan Long March from Nashik to Mumbai.
Vinod Nikole, two-term CPI(M) MLA from Dahanu (ST), Palghar district, addressed the gathering and vowed to raise the demands of farmers and landless peasants in the Maharashtra State Assembly.
The convention concluded with a keynote address by Dr Ashok Dhawale, who provided a historical and political analysis of the land struggle in India. He urged AIKS units to intensify mass mobilisations of poor peasants and agricultural workers against both domestic and foreign corporate interests, which he described as a new form of landlordism. He also denounced the Modi government’s ongoing free trade negotiations with the UK, EU, and USA as being anti-farmer and anti-people.
During the event, a new AIKS Maharashtra booklet—comprising documents and speeches from the recent Statewide Women Farmers Convention held in Nashik—was released by a group of women delegates.
The AIKS State Council extended special thanks to the Sambhajinagar AIKS unit, led by Adv. Bhagwan Bhojane and Dr Bhausaheb Zirpe, for their excellent organisational work. The support of CITU, MSMRA, SFI, and DYFI was also acknowledged in ensuring the convention’s success.
