Pune (Maharashtra), Dec 27 (IANS) :The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) launched its 4-day, 100-km long ‘Kisan Aakrosh Morcha’ to press for the demands of farmers, from Shivneri Fort -- the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj -- to the Pune Collectorate, here on Wednesday.

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Dr. Amol Kolhe started the march along with legislators and leaders of the MVA allies -- Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) -- by offering respects at Shivneri Fort, accompanied by thousands of tillers, including many women and youth, carrying banners and placards.

The long-march from 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. daily will be punctuated with public meetings at various locations en route and culminate in a massive public rally to be addressed by NCP President Sharad Pawar on December 30 in Pune.

Interacting with the media, Dr. Kolhe and others listed the farmers’ major demands for taking out the protest procession.

“The ban on onion export must be lifted immediately and a long term policy should be formulated for onion exports. Farmers should get uninterrupted daytime power supply for agriculture especially in pest-prone areas. The arbitrariness of crop insurance companies must be reined in and the cultivators should get compensation for losses immediately,” said Dr. Kolhe.

He questioned why the farmers are not entitled to full crop loans waiver in view of the huge losses they suffered during the Kharif (monsoon) and Rabi (winter) crop seasons this year, when the government has written off dues worth Rs 25 lakh crore of big corporate houses.

Dr. Kolhe sought a formal education loan policy for farmers’ children and equal subsidy for all milk-producing farmers, and urged implementation of all promises made by the ruling alliance in Maharashtra which claims to be a ‘government of farmers’.

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party, Dr. Kolhe said that the farmers are in great distress owing to the faulty policies of the Centre and the state governments which are only concerned about staying in power.

“We are inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who had given full protection to the tillers but the BJP government which invoked his name to come to power had spelt ruin for the cultivators,” said Dr. Kolhe.

Addressing groups of farmers en route, he said that this fight is for all the brothers, mothers, sisters of the agriculturists who are being oppressed by an unjust system, and the struggle will not fall on deaf ears.