The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a joint platform of protesting farmers’ unions, on Thursday appealed to farmers in Uttar Pradesh to “punish” the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections for betraying the farmers by not fulfilling their demands.
The SKM will distribute pamphlets to farmers/voters and will also hold rallies and mahapanchayat in nine cities including Meerut, Kanpur and Gorakhpur, in the run-up to the Assembly polls in UP, not to vote for the BJP. They will also use social media to spread their appeal. The farmers’ leaders did the same thing during the West Bengal Assembly polls and campaigned against the BJP last year.
The morcha has claimed to have the support of 57 farmers’ unions and also clarified that they have nothing to do with seeking votes for any party in the ongoing elections. The SKM declared that if the Government reneged on its written assurance and promises to protesting farmers, “farmers would be left with no option but to resume their agitation.”
“The SKM has issued an appeal to farmers in UP to punish the BJP in the upcoming elections for betraying the farmers. The Government has not fulfilled its promises. No committee has been formed yet for Minimum Support Price and neither the cases against farmers have been withdrawn,” Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav said at a Press conference.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said, “Will give a form to the voters in which there will be many questions, all those seeking votes will answer yes or no in it. In Uttarakhand also, these pamphlets will be distributed to the people in which we have questions. The answer will be taken from everyone who has come to ask for votes. Based on these answers, the voter himself will decide whom to vote for?” Rakesh has also issued a statement on Twitter. Its headline is, “Punish anti-farmer BJP in this election.”
“We will ask voters in UP and Uttarakhand not to vote for the anti-farmer BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections. We’ll not ask whom to vote for. We’ll not share stage/platform with any political party,” Yadav said.