Farmers Movement Archive

Panchayat polls: BJP tries to woo Dalits as protesting farmers implacable in West UP

Muzaffarnagar: With the panchayat polls in Uttar Pradesh drawing closer and the protesting farmers unrelenting, the ruling BJP, which finds itself trapped in a catch-22-like situation, especially in western UP districts, has turned its focus towards Dalits. In an effort to woo the Dalits voters, Muzaffarnagar MP and Union minister Sanjeev Balyan on Saturday carried out a “jalabhisekh” of an 11-foot-tall statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar at GIC Ground here at a public meeting held under the banner of Hind Kisan Majdoor Simit. The statue will, however, be installed in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. “The society will be stronger when we remove the word ‘caste’. We will together go to Kashmir to install the statue,” said Balyan in a bid to neutralise the situation arising out of the farmers’ protest against the three farm laws that completed 100 days on Saturday. “I will be the first MP to resign if any farmer loses his land owing to the farm laws,” said minister of state for animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries addressing a public gathering. “Modi Ji always thinks about the farmers’ interests, but rumours are being spread that their land will be grabbed by corporate houses. The day industrialists grab the land of even a single farmer, Sanjeev Balyan will be the first MP to resign. No one can dare to grab farmers’ land in this country,” said Balyan to placate the protesting farmers after facing stiff resistance during his meetings in several western UP villages recently. Lambasting opposition parties for “spreading rumours” against the farm laws and "misleading" the farmers, the minister said, “Stop spreading rumours, the government wants to solve farmers’ problems. I also appeal to the farmers that it has been 100 days since you launched your agitation, now talk to the government and tell all negative points about the laws which are bothering you, the government will remove them.”

The Times of India

2021-03-07

Meerut