Farmers Movement Archive

BKU call to send 30 tractors, 500 people to Ghazipur border daily

MEERUT Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has called upon farmers and supporters to send 30 tractors and 500 people at Ghazipur border every day, during the winter session of Parliament. These farmers will join a ‘ tractor march’ to Parliament to raise the farmers’ demands (including guarantee to purchase crop at minimum support price (MSP)) whenever their leaders call for it. To note, the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha meeting in New Delhi on Saturday decided to suspend the march for now. Future course of action will be decided in a meeting on December 4. Speaking to HT on phone, Tikait said that the winter session of Parliament was about to begin and so he had directed union office-bearers and farmers to send 30 tractors and 500 people at Ghazipur border every day to take part in the march to Parliament, whenever a decision was taken in this regard. “We have made our plan for a Parliament march. Let us see whether or not they (government) allow us to proceed,” said Tikait who raised questions over the government’s attitude in accepting the demand of making MSP legal. The farmer leader claimed that only six per cent of the crops were being sold at MSP and farmers had resorted to selling the remaining 94 per cent in the market at lower prices. Asking why the government could not procure the entire crop at MSP when traders were able to purchase 94 per cent of it and sell it further in the market, he said that the issue of MSP was important for improving the financial condition of farmers across the country and the ‘andolan’ ( agitation) would end only after the government accepted all the demands of the farmers. BKU leaders have started reaching out to farmers and union supporters in villages to muster support at Ghazipur border during the winter session of Parliament. The union’s Moradabad division president Digamber Singh, who has given a call to farmers to ensure their presence at Ghazipur border, said, “Meetings are being organised in villages to apprise farmers about the movement after withdrawal of the three contentious farm laws and to ensure their presence in the movement to push the demand for the guarantee of MSP.”

Hindustan Times

28-11-2021

Lucknow