Kolhapur: Farmers from Palus, Kadegaon and Khanapur tehsils in Sangli district staged a blood donation protest outside the Kadegaon tehsil office on Friday, demanding the cancellation of the proposed Shaktipeeth expressway project.The protesters said photographs and videos of farmers donating blood would be sent to CM Devendra Fadnavis as a symbolic message of their opposition to the project.Shivaji D Marale, a farmer from Nevari village, said “Fadnavis’ name will be at the forefront as the most ruthless, tyrannical and insensitive CM in the history of Maharashtra. For the past several months, farmers are opposing the Shaktipeeth expressway through democratic means. They have not committed any kind of violence yet. But this man is challenging them by pointing his nose at them and saying ‘Shaktipeeth will happen’.”Marale added, “We farmers are not Rohingyas from Bangladesh, we are local sons of the soil and have a history of wiping out any administrator who has tried to dictate us.”The protesters said the blood donation drive was a symbolic representation of the sacrifices made by farmers for their land and livelihood. They said while soldiers shed blood to protect the nation’s borders, farmers shed blood to cultivate the land that feeds the country.Advocate Deepak Lad of the Shaktipeeth highway Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti in Sangli said the protest received an overwhelming response, with 130 farmers donating blood.“Spontaneous response was received for blood donation by farmers where 130 farmers donated their blood to oppose Shaktipeeth expressway project. Our country runs on the slogan of Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan, but today the govt has planned the Shaktipeeth expressway to take away fertile land of farmers. It must be stopped at any cost, otherwise the farmers are donating blood now, tomorrow they will come on streets and shed blood,” Lad said.Meanwhile, farmers from 13 districts will participate in the Sadbuddhi Dindi Yatra on Saturday, July 18, from Wakhari village to Namdev Payari at the Vitthal Temple in Pandharpur.Through the yatra, farmers said they would pray to Lord Vitthal to grant wisdom to Fadnavis and urge him to announce the cancellation of the Shaktipeeth expressway project when he arrives in Pandharpur for the official Mahapuja on Ashadhi Ekadashi on July 25.