Farmers Movement Archive

Over 1,000 tractors mobilised for tractor parade as BKU eyes massive support from west UP farmers

Meerut: Even as the farmer leaders across western Uttar Pradesh districts are holding door-to-door meetings to mobilise farmers for the proposed tractor parade that is scheduled to be held in Delhi on Republic Day against the Centre’s agri laws, over 1,000 tractors assembled at Bijnor’s Kiratpur Mandi to take part in the agitation. According to state president of Bharat Kisan Union’s (BKU) youth wing, Digambar Singh, over 24,000 farmers will travel to Delhi in 2,000 tractor-trolley from Bijnor on January 22. Addressing a panchayat at Afzalgarh on Monday, Singh said the farmers are ready to move to Delhi, adding that they will not tolerate these "black farm laws". This comes on the day when the Supreme Court, while hearing an application by the Centre seeking an injunction against the proposed march, refused to intervene in the matter and said the onus falls on the Delhi Police on whether to allow farmers’ entry into Delhi or not. Meanwhile, the BKU has urged all other farmer unions in Uttar Pradesh to join the rally to ensure "farmers’ inclusion in the Republic Day parade and make it a success". Apart from that, the BKU leaders have been holding panchayats and organising door-to-door meetings with farmers to make them aware and take part in the agitation. According to the secretary of the national coordination committee of Kisan Ekta Manch, Naveen Pradhan, who has been entrusted with the task of mobilising farmers, told TOI, "We have a target of taking out the tractor march to Delhi comprising 25,000 tractors at least from west UP districts, including Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Bijnor." Notably, Rakesh Tikait, the national spokesperson of BKU, who has been giving a clarion call for a massive tractor march on Republic Day in Delhi, said on Monday, "We won’t let down this year’s Republic Day parade. The government will bring out its own parade on Rajpath, us farmers will take out our own."

The Times of India

2021-01-19

Meerut