Farmers Movement Archive

Eye on Uttar Pradesh polls, BKU to launch campaign against the state government in August

AGRA: Ahead of the UP assembly elections due in 2022, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has planned to launch a statewide campaign against the Yogi-led BJP government over the issues concerning farmers. Starting from August 1, BKU workers will be staging protests in all the districts of UP against issues such as high electricity bills and pending dues of farmers. BKU leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, will be holding panchayats at the divisional level. Tractor rallies will be taken out and gherao of district headquarters will be done. Rakesh Tikait, national BKU spokesman, said, “Farmers of UP pay the highest electricity rates in the country. Pending cane dues are not being cleared by the state government despite long delays. Farmers are forced to sell their produce at below minimum support price. It is becoming difficult for the farmers to recover input price in crop production. We will be highlighting all these issues.” BKU general secretary Yudhvir Singh added, “We will ensure that the campaign in UP does not affect the ongoing protest against the three farm laws that farmers are waging. We will be uniting farmers to intensify the protest at Delhi borders.” The kisan outfit also proposes to highlight irregularities in the implementation of schemes meant to benefit the farmers. In this context, senior BKU leader Dharmendra Malik said, “BKU will also demand compensation for families of farmers who died due to Covid-19.” On Saturday. BKU will be taking out a tractor rally from Shamli district to the Singhu border protest site. The rally will be led by Gaurav Tikait, son of BKU chief Naresh Tikait. On Thursday, BKU held protests against rising fuel prices across UP. In Agra, BKU workers led by district unit president Rajveer Lawaniya took out a tractor rally but it was stopped at Fatehabad road.

The Times of India

2021-07-09

Agra