Farm widows of Bothbodan support Hazare-TIMES OF INDIA
Farm-widows-of-Bothbodan-support-Hazare/articleshow/7921483.cms
*"The agrarian community of Vidarbha will support the agitation till the demand for Lokpal Bill is accepted," said Kishore Tiwari of VJAS in a press release. "What is important is that the agitation is spreading in villages with new villages joining daily. The people are coming out in support without waiting for any leader or group. That is a sign of revolution the country badly needs, Also on Friday, people from all sections of society joined the agitation at Pandharkawda, Ralegoan,Yavatmal, Ghatanji and Wani." said Tiwari.***
NAGPUR: Widows of Bothbodan village in Yavatmal district on Friday joined the anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare who is on an indefinite fast in the national capital. Bothbodan has been in the news as a village with maximum farm suicides in cotton belt of western Vidarbha. Since 2005, as many as 22 farmers in this mainly tribal village have killed themselves.
The village has seen several high profile visitors, including Congress youth icon Rahul Gandhi, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar, father of green revolution M S Swaminathan, then Union rural development minister Mani Shanakar Iyer, Maharashtra Governor, special team of planning commission and several experts. But all this hardly resulted in any meaningful relief to the distressed farmers.
On Friday, it was a different scene at the village as the farm widows came out to express solidarity with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare. They undertook a day's fast for the cause under leadership of village sarpanch Balasaheb Chavan and Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti secretary Mohan Jadhav.
"Massive corruption in relief packages to the tune of Rs 5000 crore is the reason for continuing farmers' suicide in western Vidarbha. Allegations of corruption have been levelled against senior ministers and bureaucrats engaged in relief operations. The CAG and legislatures' public accounts committee (PAC) have given reports on it and pointed out the leakages. Yet no action was ever taken in the matter," said Babitai Bais, president of Vidarbha Farm Widows Association (VFWA). "Now, a Lokpal (ombudsman) is the only hope so we are supporting Anna Hazare," she said.
Appealing to civil society to join the war against corruption, she said, "If 73-year-old Annaji can go on an indefinite fast, we can at least spread the message of corruption-free India."
"The agrarian community of Vidarbha will support the agitation till the demand for Lokpal Bill is accepted," said Kishore Tiwari of VJAS in a press release. Hundreds of widows joined a candle march at Hiwara-Barsa village. Such marches will continue all over Vidarbha, said farm activist Suresh Bolenwar. Also on Friday, people from all sections of society joined the agitation at Pandharkawda, Ralegoan, Yavatmal, Ghatanji and Wani.
"What is important is that the agitation is spreading in villages with new villages joining daily. The people are coming out in support without waiting for any leader or group. That is a sign of revolution the country badly needs," said Tiwari.
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The village has seen several high profile visitors, including Congress youth icon Rahul Gandhi, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar, father of green revolution M S Swaminathan, then Union rural development minister Mani Shanakar Iyer, Maharashtra Governor, special team of planning commission and several experts. But all this hardly resulted in any meaningful relief to the distressed farmers.
On Friday, it was a different scene at the village as the farm widows came out to express solidarity with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare. They undertook a day's fast for the cause under leadership of village sarpanch Balasaheb Chavan and Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti secretary Mohan Jadhav.
"Massive corruption in relief packages to the tune of Rs 5000 crore is the reason for continuing farmers' suicide in western Vidarbha. Allegations of corruption have been levelled against senior ministers and bureaucrats engaged in relief operations. The CAG and legislatures' public accounts committee (PAC) have given reports on it and pointed out the leakages. Yet no action was ever taken in the matter," said Babitai Bais, president of Vidarbha Farm Widows Association (VFWA). "Now, a Lokpal (ombudsman) is the only hope so we are supporting Anna Hazare," she said.
Appealing to civil society to join the war against corruption, she said, "If 73-year-old Annaji can go on an indefinite fast, we can at least spread the message of corruption-free India."
"The agrarian community of Vidarbha will support the agitation till the demand for Lokpal Bill is accepted," said Kishore Tiwari of VJAS in a press release. Hundreds of widows joined a candle march at Hiwara-Barsa village. Such marches will continue all over Vidarbha, said farm activist Suresh Bolenwar. Also on Friday, people from all sections of society joined the agitation at Pandharkawda, Ralegoan, Yavatmal, Ghatanji and Wani.
"What is important is that the agitation is spreading in villages with new villages joining daily. The people are coming out in support without waiting for any leader or group. That is a sign of revolution the country badly needs," said Tiwari.
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