After Gujarat’s BJP government unleashed unprecedented brutality on farmers, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal will hold a Mahapanchayat on October 31 to stand with the state’s farming community. Sharing this information, AAP Gujarat Prabhari Gopal Rai said that on Sunday, farmers had gathered at the Botad Mandi to demand fair prices for their crops but were denied permission by the police. When they shifted their peaceful assembly to Hadad village, the police — acting on the BJP’s directions — lathi-charged them, arrested over 250 people, and even stormed into homes, misbehaving with women and treating villagers like enemies.
The AAP Gujarat Prabhari said that in protest against this barbaric crackdown, AAP and farmers across Gujarat observed a Black Day on Monday. He warned that if the BJP government fails to grant farmers dignity, justice, and fair crop prices, AAP will launch a statewide movement.
Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters on Monday, senior AAP leader and Gujarat Prabhari Gopal Rai said that on Sunday, the BJP government in Gujarat unleashed a barbaric assault on innocent farmers — resorting to brutal lathi charges, firing tear gas shells, and carrying out mass arrests through the night. “It appears as if the BJP government has become the enemy of farmers. The way farmers in Hadad village, Botad Assembly, Bhavnagar district were attacked is reminiscent of an assault on an enemy. The village was surrounded from all sides, and repression was unleashed even as farmers were holding a peaceful Mahapanchayat. This cycle of suppression continues,” said Gopal Rai.
Explaining the background of the incident, the AAP Gujarat Prabhari said, “This issue began at the Botad marketing yard. The cotton and groundnut crops in Gujarat are ready for sale. When farmers bring their produce to the markets, the BJP government and BJP-appointed chairmen have imposed an exploitative system called Karda Pratha. Under this system, only a portion of the crop is purchased at a fixed price, while the rest is declared substandard and farmers are forced either to sell it at a much lower price or take it back home. To protest this injustice, the farmers had peacefully raised their voice at the Botad Mandi on October 10.”
He added, “Under the leadership of AAP farmer leader Rajubhai Karpada, the farmers and local leaders presented their grievances before the Mandi Committee and its Chairman. However, the BJP-backed committee refused to listen. Instead, the committee conspired to suppress the protest by posting a notice in the evening declaring the market closed indefinitely. Farmers stayed overnight, but the BJP government refused to engage with them. Around 4 AM, the police surrounded Rajubhai Karpada and other farmer leaders, arresting them. They were taken around all day while the Mandi was locked down, pressuring farmers to leave.”
Gopal Rai said that the farmers had declared that they would continue their movement until their demands were met. “A ‘kisan panchayat’ was called at Botad Mandi on Sunday, but the BJP government converted the area into a police camp, deploying personnel at every corner. Dozens of farmer leaders, including AAP Gujarat President Isudan Gadhvi and Youth Wing President Brijraj Solanki, were arrested on the way. When permission for the panchayat was denied, farmers peacefully gathered in Hadad village, about 3–4 km from Botad, to continue their meeting.”
He revealed that the BJP government then ordered the police to surround Hadad village from all sides. “Some policemen were sent secretly into the assembly. As the peaceful meeting continued, the police first began pelting stones and then launched a lathi charge followed by tear gas. The scenes that unfolded were so painful that perhaps even during British rule such cruelty wasn’t witnessed. Every door in Hadad village was broken down. Police forcibly entered homes without permission, where mothers and daughters were present. Over 250 young men were detained, though the police admit to only 20. Those detained were denied food and water. The rest are missing, and the police refuse to provide any information. The BJP government has blindfolded itself while the farmers are left helpless,” said Gopal Rai.
He declared, “The BJP government has effectively declared the entire village an enemy territory. But this repression cannot silence the farmers’ voice. The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to observe a Black Day across Gujarat on Monday against the BJP government’s atrocities. Women in Hadad have been humiliated, and this will be resisted across the state. The message of Hadad will reach all of Gujarat’s 400 marketing yards — 200 large and 200 small. AAP leaders and farmer representatives will hold public hearings in every yard to listen to farmers’ pain.”
Announcing the next step, Gopal Rai said, “A grand Mahapanchayat will be held in Gujarat on October 31, where AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal will also be present. If the BJP government fails to give justice, respect, and fair prices to farmers, this movement will intensify further. If the BJP believes that lathis, tear gas, and arrests can scare farmers, it is mistaken. This is Gujarat — the land of the Kheda movement and the 1974 student movement that forced governments to bow. In 1987 too, when the Congress government fired bullets at farmers, the people of Gujarat uprooted it.”
Gopal Rai warned, “If the BJP government continues to jail leaders and suppress farmers instead of addressing their genuine grievances, then Gujarat’s people will give one answer — either listen to the farmers’ demands or prepare to go. This movement will proceed peacefully, on the path of truth and non-violence. The way the police entered homes, humiliated mothers and sisters, and attacked an entire village is intolerable.”
Appealing for national solidarity, Gopal Rai said, “I appeal to all farmer leaders and political parties across the country to stand with Gujarat’s farmers. If the BJP believes that after ruling Gujarat for 30 years no one can question it, it is gravely mistaken. The day is not far when the people will answer this repression. On October 31, on Sardar Patel Jayanti, representatives from all markets will participate in the Mahapanchayat. If the BJP government does not guarantee justice, respect, and fair crop prices for farmers, this struggle will expand into a statewide movement.”
