After Bharatiya Kisan Union president Rakesh Tikait exhorted farmers’ unions to intensify their agitation in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, two neighbouring States that go to polls early next year, a section of the farmers opine that agitating unions should now enter electoral politics and contest elections. On the other hand, there is another section which maintains that the farmers’ stir should remain apolitical.
“A section of farmers believe that this is the right time for the farmers’ unions to enter electoral politics. The issue was discussed in a closed door meeting which was attended by senior leaders of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) in Lucknow,” veteran farmers’ leader Mandeep Singh told this reporter.
The issue of farmers’ joining politics has crossed many minds at various occasions. It started with senior BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who is one of the major faces in the ongoing farmers’ agitation, had opined that the time was ripe for farm unions to give up their apolitical stand and formally enter electoral politics to better serve the community’s interest they represent. Chaduni had said that when political parties had failed to protect farmers’ interests it was the right time for farmers unions to fight elections to ensure pro-farmer people were elected. He also said that another senior leader, Yogendra Yadav, had written an article in The Print headlined ‘Farmers’ movement can’t and shouldn’t be apolitical. That’s not a democracy’.
“In that write-up he claimed that the farmers’ agitation against three farm laws is not apolitical. This shows that there is consternation among the members of farmers unions about projecting the agitation as a political movement. What prevents us from contesting elections in Uttar Pradesh,” the farmers’ leader sought to know.
There is a belief that if farmers contest elections the union can win more than 30 seats in western UP and this would catapult them in king makers’ position. But another section feels that farmers should stay away from contesting elections.
BKU national media in-charge Dharmendra Mallik has said that electoral politics ruins the character of people.
“Our agitation is apolitical and will remain so. Our strategy would be the same as what we did in previous elections of Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. We will campaign against BJP. We will ask the voters not to vote for the BJP but will not suggest voters as to whom to vote. We will leave it to the wisdom of the voters. We are andolankari (agitationists) and love to remain so. We will stay away from active politics but will continue our fight against three farm laws,” Mallik said.