Farmers march from Rajghat to India Gate to protest land acquisition

New Delhi, Oct 2 (UNI) Calling for changing the obsolete 1894 Land Acquisition Act, hundreds of farmers today marched from Rajghat to India Gate here to protest 'forced land acquisition' by the government to pave way for Special Economic Zones and building townships.

Demonstrating under the banner of 'Jan Morcha' of former Prime Minister V P Singh, farmers warned the government of electoral reverses if it failed to address their concerns which was not just leaving them landless but leading them to penury as well.

Drawing the attention of the government towards sky-rocketing inflation which had left the farmers teetering on the brink, the agitators said its policies were hurting the common man, poor and the downtrodden the most.

''Migration towards cities, increasing unemployment increasing crime rate in villages and rural youth going astray were the fallout of this forced land acquisition,'' said a speaker addressing the gathering.

Recalling Bapu's fight for the farmers and the present government's apathy towards the plight of farmers, agitators said they had come to Bapu's 'samadhi' to begin a new fight against usurping of farmers' land and their exploitation at the hands of government in the name of development.

''It is from Rajghat on Gandhi Jayanti that the journey to end exploitation will begin.'' Rueing government's 'blind eye' towards farmers' plight, and supporting of business houses instead, protestors said buying land from farmers for peanuts and selling it to industrialists for profit was a bluff on the nation under the garb of progress and development and that ''our fight would not end till the entire nation is awakened to this anti-farmer policy and legislation.

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