Farmers Movement Archive

After Rajasthan, over 2,000 farmers from MP set to join protesters in Ghazipur, says BKU

AGRA: A fresh batch of over 2,000 farmers, this time from Madhya Pradesh, are expected to join protesters at Ghazipur border in the next few days, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) claimed here on Tuesday. The movement of farmers from states other than Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh gathered momentum after an emotional appeal by BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait last week. On Monday, farmer leaders from as far as Karnataka and Maharashtra addressed a ‘mahapanchayat’ held in Bijnor, a never-before spectacle for local farmers. Bhopal-based farmer leader Anil Yadav told TOI, “In the next two days, 2,000 farmers from different districts of MP will reach Ghazipur border. They have been told to launch protests wherever they are stopped by police.” BKU’s UP president Rajveer Singh Jadoun also attended a public meeting in Dabra town of Gwalior district on Tuesday afternoon. “We are getting overwhelming support from MP. Farmer leaders across the state have expressed complete support for Rakesh Tikait. The sentiments of farmers in MP are similar to those in western UP. They want to come to the Ghazipur border to show support. We have welcomed them,” Jadoun told TOI. “The protest at Ghazipur border will intensify in the next few days. We are working on different plans. The central government will have to take back the three farm laws and guarantee MSP to the farmers,” he added. While Yadav claimed, “In last four days, over 500 people from different districts of MP have already reached Ghazipur border. Over two dozen batches of farmers are on their way to the protest site. Farmers will also be staging a protest at the local level.” When contacted, district president of BKU in MP's Damoh, Mukesh Kumar Patel, said, “We are holding public meetings to unite farmers. On February 9, we will take out a massive tractor parade in the district. Over 500 tractors and 5,000 farmers will participate in it.” Senior BKU leader Dharmendra Malik, who was at Ghazipur border, said, “We are getting massive support from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Thousands of farmers will be joining protests from Madhya Pradesh. Over 2,000 people from Rajasthan are already camping at the protest site. We are also getting support from farmer leaders in southern India and from northeast.”

The Times of India

2021-02-03

Agra