Farmers Movement Archive

BJP candidates face hostility in villages of western U.P.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates in western Uttar Pradesh have begun reaching out to the electorate, they are feeling the impact of the farmers’ agitation on the election. Over a dozen incidents of contestants being shown black flags or not being allowed to enter a village have been reported in the region. While the BJP supporters described them as sponsored protests organised by rivals and disgruntled ticket seekers, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) said it was a natural expression of anger against the ruling dispensation. The convoy of Maninder Pal Singh, the BJP candidate from Siwalkhas, came under attack at Chur village on January 24. A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged against 85 people out of which 20 have been named. Mr. Singh clarified that he didn’t lodge the complaint, it is the police who had taken note of the incident in which seven cars of this convoy were damaged because of stone-pelting. His aide Gaurav Singh said such minor protests were organised by rival candidates by paying local youth. He reminded that the FIR said the youth were carrying RLD flags. The BJP candidate from Chhaprauli in Baghpat, Sahendra Ramala, was shown black flags on Friday and was not allowed to enter Nirupada village. BKU spokesperson Dharmendra Malik said the anger against the BJP was real but the Opposition had not been able to channelise it fully. “Flags are being shown but not all candidates of the ruling are being stopped from entering the villages. Only those who had been vocal against farmers’ agitation or were facing local issues are being targeted.” He said the BJP was trying hard to make farmers “forget the recent past by scratching wounds that have almost healed”.

The Hindu

2022-01-31

January 31 2022 06:19 IST