Defying the Supreme Court’s ban on bullock cart races, farmers in Sangli’s Zare village reportedly staged a race after heeding to a call to hold the same by BJP leader Gopichand Padalkar amid heavy police deployment throughout the district.
The races were reportedly held early morning to avoid the police from cracking down on the ‘errant’ organisers.
While Mr. Padalkar, along with other BJP leaders, were stopped by the police well ahead of the chosen spot, he claimed the races as a victory for the farmers while urging the ruling Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to contest and get the ban lifted in the apex court on grounds that it was baneful to the rural economy.
Mr. Padalkar, an MLC and an influential Dhangar community leader from Sangli, had earlier challenged the government and the State police machinery, announcing the race would be held come what may.
“I have heard through media reports that some farmers escaped the police blockade and held races. This only shows the sentiment of all farmers who are badly hit by the Supreme Court’s ban… I could not reach the spot as the police had completely blocked-off roads around a 30 km radius. Respecting the appeals of the authorities to prevent mobbing, we had decided to cooperate with the police,” the BJP leader said.
Mr. Padalkar said he was least concerned if the State government decided to take action against him for inciting farmers to stage bullock cart races in violation of the court order.
As per reports, the local police had prohibited assembly of people and movement in 10 villages around Zare, compelling farmers to breach the robust shield by using arduous mountain roads to reach the ‘venue’ for the races.
Mr. Padalkar was accompanied by BJP MLAs Mahesh Landge and Jaykumar Gore, and farmer leader Sadabhau Khot, who is president of the Rayat Kranti Sanghatana, a BJP ally.
“The sons of farmers have shown that they will not withstand any injustice. They have kept the spirit of Chhatrapati Shivaji alive by getting their way using guerrilla tactics to stage the races,” Mr. Khot said.
Animal activists on the other hand claimed that it could not be called a ‘competition’ in any sense as only a handful of errant persons had staged a few rounds using bullock carts.
Nevertheless, the issue, which resonates with farmers and is one of vital political significance in the State’s rural hinterland, has led to friction within the tripartite MVA government itself, with senior Shiv Sena leader from Pune, Shivaji Adhalrao-Patil, backing Mr. Padalkar’s stance.
“For the last seven years, farmers in the rural hinterland are uneasy… I myself will hold races in the next fortnight in the State Home Minister’s constituency [Dilip Walse-Patil’s constituency Ambegaon in Pune] if the Maharashtra government did not lift the ban,” said Mr. Patil, a former MP from Shirur in Pune district.
