The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gujarat is taking its ongoing agitation in support of cotton farmers to the next level with national convenor Arvind Kejriwal scheduled to address a Kisan Mahapanchayat – across 400 APMCs in the state – on October 31.
Led by Raju Karpada, its Kisan Cell president in Gujarat, AAP has been agitating in support of cotton farmers. There have been allegations that the cotton farmers are not getting the right prices. It is alleged that while the traders buy part of their produce at minimum support prices, for the rest of the quantity they are not paid proper amount on various grounds including the quality of the produce.
Statewide Agitation Planned
At a press conference in Ahmedabad, AAP’s Gujarat in-charge Gopal Rai said, “Farmers want justice, dignity, and the rightful price of their produce. AAP leaders, along with farmers, will hold panchayats in every mandi to expose how the BJP government has betrayed them.”
The party said the Mahapanchayat will be held in all big and small mandis, culminating in a statewide gathering led by Kejriwal. This will be his second Gujarat visit in as many months — his earlier Kisan Mahapanchayat in Chotila, planned around cotton import duty issues, was cancelled due to rain.
Violence In Botad
The announcement follows Sunday evening’s violent confrontation between police and farmers in Hadadad (Hadvad) village, where AAP had called a Kisan Mahapanchayat despite police denying permission. The gathering soon turned chaotic as stone-pelting broke out, prompting police to fire tear gas shells and carry out a lathi-charge.
According to police, several officers, including Botad DySP Maharshi Rawal and LCB PI A.G. Solanki, were injured — Rawal suffered a leg injury, and Solanki received seven stitches on his head. “The attack was pre-planned. Stones were stocked in advance. A criminal case will be registered and all accused will be arrested,” Botad SP Dharmendra Sharma was quoted in section of the media.
AAP Alleges State-Sponsored Repression
Gopal Rai, who described the incident as “worse than British rule,” said the crackdown was a deliberate act of state violence. “The police surrounded the village, entered homes, broke down doors, and arrested people. More than 250 villagers have been detained. It feels like the government has become the enemy of farmers,” he said.
Rai compared the protests to Gujarat’s past mass movements, saying, “This is the same Gujarat that gave the Kheda Andolan and Navnirman Movement. The BJP is mistaken if it thinks it can suppress farmers with lathis and tear gas. We will take this movement to its logical conclusion.”
AAP MLA Gopal Italia also condemned the incident, calling it “an act of tyranny that would shame even the British,” and reaffirmed the party’s solidarity with protesting farmers.
The Root Of The Dispute
The Botad unrest stems from long-standing allegations of corruption and price manipulation at the local APMC. Karpada had been leading an agitation against the kadada pratha — a practice where traders buy a portion of farmers’ produce at a fair price but devalue the rest, forcing them to sell cheaply.
Karpada and his supporters held a sit-in protest last week, demanding transparent price evaluation and action against traders cheating farmers. Although the APMC chairman initially promised that any erring trader would lose their licence, he and other officials allegedly left the venue without giving written assurance.
Angered by this, Karpada and farmers continued their sit-in overnight. Around 4 am on October 11, police detained Karpada, which AAP described as part of a “conspiracy to silence farmer voices.” He was later placed under house arrest in Surendranagar, with police stationed outside his residence.
Detentions And Escalation
As the situation intensified, AAP announced a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Botad. On Sunday, before reaching the venue, AAP’s Gujarat president Isudan Gadhvi, general secretary Sagar Desai, and several party workers were detained on the Bagodara Highway.
Gadhvi alleged that “BJP leaders have profited in crores through market manipulations” and accused the police of working under political pressure. “The government is trying to crush the farmers’ voice, but we will take this agitation to every mandi,” he said.
Karpada, speaking after his release, claimed the police provoked the violence. “The Mahapanchayat was peaceful until masked men came and started pelting stones. Instead of controlling them, police instigated the chaos,” he said.
Aftermath And AAP’s Next Move
Following the violence, police conducted combing operations in Hadadad village, detaining around 20 people allegedly involved in the stone pelting and seizing several vehicles. Heavy police deployment remains in place to prevent further unrest.
Rai, who is also overseeing AAP’s reorganisation ahead of the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections, said the party will continue to fight for farmers’ rights. “The BJP government has waged war on Gujarat’s farmers. But the farmers will not bow down. This struggle will reach every mandi, every village,” he said.
AAP Stepping Up Tempo
AAP has been cornering the BJP in its model state and its tempo has increased after its candidate Gopal Italia defeated the BJP candidate in Visavadar by-election earlier in June, this year.
It has claimed that people in large numbers have joined the party. The party has already announced that it will not have any tie up with the Congress in the upcoming elections to municipal corporations, taluka and district panchayats.
The crowd was massive at Botad. Whether or not the numbers translate into votes on not remains to be seen but for now it seems challenging times are ahead for the Congress that saw a change in state party leadership just a couple of months ago.
AAP’s Gujarat unit spokesperson Karan Barot told Vibes Of India that the party is not taking up this cause for politics. For politics, the party has been holding programmes across the state. “Our culture is to work,” he said, adding that the agitation has continued as they have not got in writing that the previous practice happening in Botad will end. Such a thing has been happening only in Botad, but perhaps the farmers feared the BJP government, he alleged.
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