With the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections in sight, the Bhartiya Janta Party has decided to launch a farmers’ outreach program to counter the impact of the ongoing protests.
With the mega Kisan Panchayats, the party hopes to steer support in its favour, especially in western Uttar Pradesh. This is the only area in the state where the protest led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait against the three farm laws has been going on for more than eight months.
As a part of its outreach program, the farmer leaders from the BJP will visit 104 constituencies of Western UP to interact with the farmers.
BJP leaders will interact with farmers in 104 Assembly constituencies having sizable number farmers to hear their grievances & alley apprehensions & misconception over three farm laws. A Kisan Mahapanchayat will be held in western UP: State BJP Kisan Morcha chief Kameshwar Singh
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2021
A special outreach segment ‘Kisan Samvad’ for the sugarcane belts has been organized from 16th to 23rd August. With this, the BJP Kisan Morcha intends to elaborate the work it has done for the sugarcane farmers.
Post this, a grand Kisan Panchayat will be held from 22nd August to 25th August in the state capital Lucknow followed by a ‘Kisan Sammelan’ in Meerut between December 5-10.
The party also intends to organize a ‘Kisan Chaupal’ (street meeting of farmers) in every village of UP during this period. Reports suggest the probable participation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who is said to meet 200 farmers during the outreach program.
BJP Kisan Morcha State Chief Kameshwar Singh along with state president Swatantra Dev Singh and state secretary Sunil Bansal has been given the responsibility for this outreach.
The BJP with this program aims to spread awareness about the work done by the central and state governments on minimum support price (MSP) for various crops, electricity supply, availability of fertilizers, social security schemes for the farmers’ families and benefits of the farm laws.
Rakesh Tikait says ‘will oust BJP government’
Meanwhile, BKU leader has threatened once again saying ‘will oust the BJP government if they do not repeal the farm laws.’ “If the laws are not repealed and MSP not guaranteed, we shall force the BJP (government) to quit. We will reach out to farmers and expose the BJP. A government made by farmers cannot stay in power if it is anti-farmer,” claimed Tikait.
In a line-up of events, the BKU is set to hold a ‘kisan panchayat’ in its headquarters in Muzzafarnagar.
Rs 19500 crores transferred to 9.75 crores beneficiary farmer families
On August 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the ninth installment of financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) via video conferencing. A total of Rs.19,500 crores were transferred to 9.75 crores beneficiary farmer families.
“It is time to give direction to India’s agriculture to face new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities,” said PM Modi during the event.
