Farmers Movement Archive

Farmer unions call on people to not vote for BJP till demands met

For the first time, farmer union leaders on Saturday called on people gathered at the UP Gate anti-farm law protest site to not vote for the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in any election till their demands were met. This assumes significance with local body elections scheduled for March in Uttar Pradesh and assembly elections in the state and Uttarakhand next year. Both states have a BJP government. The farmer leaders announced their intention under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella group of more than 40 farmer unions, many of which are influential. “We will not fight with the police or administration officers. The people of the BJP have attacked us in order to disrupt our agitation. If these BJP people come to your village or in neighbourhood villages and hold rallies or come to seek votes, then you should give them same treatment what they dished out to us,” Haryana Bharaitya Kisan Union (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni told the gathering at the UP Gate on Saturday. He said that people should that vote for anyone who did not support the farmers’ agitation, from panchayat to parliamentary elections. “We agitate only when it becomes unavoidable. Now, that you have started the agitation and you should defeat the BJP in such a manner that the next one who comes to power should consider your demands beforehand,” said Chaduni. Other prominent farmer leaders Darshan Singh, Balbir Singh Rajewal along with Bhrataiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait were also present at the dais. They did not contest Chaduni’s statements. The farmers leaders also spoke on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of the term “andolanjeevi” in the Parliament on January 8. “We are fighting for our demands, but we never heard the government use such words for us. You heard the PM earlier calling us “annadatta (food giver)”, but now he described us with words like “andolanjeevi” and “parjeevi (parasite)”. A framer who grows crops and feed people has now become a parjeevi,” Rajewal told the gathering. He said that the words left a lasting scar on farmers. “If any BJP leader or worker comes to you, you should remember these words,” Rajewal said. The Prime Minister had used the word “andolanjeevi” in his reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha.“I have noticed that for some time, a new jamaat has been born; a new community has come forward. That is andolanjeevi (those who live off protests). If there is a lawyers’ protest, they are seen there; if there is a students’ agitation, they will be seen there; if there is a protest by labourers, they will be seen there...” the PM had said. Two days later, he clarified his remarks in the Lok Sabha. He said that the farmers’ protest was sacred but had been hijacked by andolanjivis who demonstrated with pictures of those jailed for terrorism. BJP leaders from UP said that the people would remain with them. “Everyone saw what happened at Red Fort on Republic Day. Farmers’ agitation is pavitra (sacred) for us but this was not the farmers’ agitation. The PM has already kept all facts about the new laws in both the Houses. In UP, the entire opposition was defeated in 2019 and now they are trying for 2022. In fact people who are politically reduced to naught are the andolanjeevis and now, when they were exposed, are upset about it,” said Chandra Mohan, spokesperson and state secretary of BJP – UP. “The workers of the BJP always remain with people. The government has brought in the farm laws keeping in mind benefit of farmers and common man. The farmers in UP trust the PM and with him.”The farmers have been camping at the UP Gate protest site since November 28, 2020 and demanding the repeal of three new farm laws and a new law on minimum support price. Their several rounds of talks with government have failed to break the deadlock and presently the farmers’ leaders are holding ‘Panchayats’ in different states and areas near Delhi.

Hindustan Times

13-02-2021

Noida