Farmers Movement Archive

BJP reaches out to farmers via samvaad

Lucknow: The UP BJP has termed the ongoing farmers’ stir a ‘politically-driven’ protest but that has not made the party overlook the community as it has reached out to lakhs of farmers all over the state through its ‘kisan samvaad’ programmes held in 806 blocks of UP. The party, while planning its mass contact programmes to mark the four years of Yogi government in office, had ‘kisan samvaad’ programmes planned as a major event during the eight-day schedule. The event was meant to tell farmers what all the state government has done for them. Though the programmes were held for other target groups as well, like women, youth, street vendors and others, farmers were one of the considerable groups the party addressed as the `kisan samvaad’ programmes were held in 806 out of 826 blocks of the state, including the districts in western UP where the farmers’ resentment over the new farm laws has been most notable. “The programmes were held everywhere and nowhere did we get to see any protest by farmers. Why would there be a protest when Modi government and Yogi government has done so much for them?” said state general secretary of the party Amarpal Maurya. Again, the party office-bearers though said the mass contact programmes have nothing to do with campaigning for panchayat elections as similar programmes were planned in previous anniversaries of the government also, it’s the timing of the party’s campaign for panchayat elections and the completion of state government’s four years in office that has made the state BJP set an almost similar agenda for its election campaign and anniversary events. Because panchayat elections have farmers as the biggest set of voters the party’s mass contact programmes with the community, at this point of time, might bring dividends. In addition to `Kisan Samvaad’, programmes to highlight Yogi government’s schemes for women were held at 391 places and that for youth at 2,923 places. The mass contact programmes are going on.

The Times of India

2021-03-25

Lucknow