Vidarbha farmers plan 'Chai Pe Charcha - Aur Chinta'

Three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched "Chai Pe Charcha" (Discussion over Tea) from a Maharashtra village as part of his protracted election campaign, farmers of Vidarbha will now ring a reminder to highlight their issues.

"We have organised a 'Chai Pe Charcha - Aur Chinta' (Discussion over Tea - and Despair) for farmers Monday," the organiser of the programme and Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) chief, Kishore Tiwari told IANS. The meet will be held at Dabhadi village in Yavatmal district, he added.

"Modi raised hopes of the farming community at his ('Chai Pe Charcha') meeting and public rallies. Now that he has become the prime minister, we hope he does not forget his promises," Tiwari added.

He said Modi has shown his concern for the farmers' welfare and has asked union Minister Nitin Gadkari to prepare a time-bound integrated solution to arrest farmers' suicides that continue in Maharashtra's eastern region.

The VJAS has prepared a presentation involving all stakeholders which will be shown to the farmers, tribals, parliament members from Vidarbha and NGOs in Maregaon village Monday evening.

A parliamentary committee on agrarian crises visited the village during the UPA-II, but the recommendations submitted by B. Acharya have yet to be implemented, Tiwari said.

"Vidarbha is an example of total neglect and apathy of the government on the crucial rural economy, which is exploited by all for votes," said VJAS secretary Mohan Jadhav.

Tiwari said the farmers will also voice their concerns and tensions at the lack of solutions despite repeated reminders and loss of thousands of lives so far.