JBA activists stage 'rasta roko' against corporate farming policy

Bhuj, Gujarat, May 17 (UNI) Over 5,000 activists of an NGO 'Jameen Bachao Andolan' today disrupted traffic on National Highway No 8 for almost two hours to protest against the Gujarat Government's policy to promote corporate farming on wasteland.

The JBA activists, led by noted freedom fighter Chunibhai Vaidhya, halted the traffic for almost two hours and later courted mass arrests at Vondh village in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch district, about 100 kms from here.

They were demanding that the State government should hand over these lands to landless farmers for cultivation.

Describing the government policy as anti-poor, Mr Vaidhya said, ''It is really sad that earlier, we had to fight against 'White Britishers' to get freedom, and now we have to struggle against 'Black Britishers' to protect the poor.'' Ila Bhatt of Self Employed Women Association (SEWA) and Dinesh Ganatra of Gram Swaraj Andolan have extended support to Mr Vaidhya.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel and Agriculture Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma have called these leaders for a discussion at Gandhinagar tomorrow.

UNI MP MAZ PK RN2236