Farmers from the neighbouring districts have started arriving in the state capital to participate in the Bharatiya Kisan Union's indefinite gherao of Shakti Bhawan, UP Power Corporation limited headquarters.
Demanding immediate roll-back of the hike in power tariff announced recently, the BKU workers led by lucknow and Barabanki district unit presidents gathered at the Shakti Bhawan on Monday morning and sat on dharna there.
Raising slogans against the state government, the protesters demanded immediate roll-back of the power tariff hike. The BKU leaders announced that their agitation would continue until the government withdrew the hike in the interests of the agriculture sector.
By evening, the number of protesters had swelled considerably as farmers kept arriving at the dharna venue on tractor-trolleys from Sitapur, Hardoi, Behraich, Faizabad, Sultanpur, Gonda and Pilibhit districts.
The BKU announced to hold a panchayat at Shakti Bhawan on Tuesday. It will be presided over by BKU state president Diwan Chandra Chaudhary. BKU's lucknow unit president Harnam Singh Verma handed over a memorandum to UPPCl Managing Director AP Mishra, demanding immediate roll back of hike in power tariff and replacement of old low capacity transformers.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) also staged statewide demonstrations against power tariff hike and the move to privatise the power sector in UP.
In the state capital, the demonstration was staged in Indira Nagar, where the CPI workers burnt the effigy of the Samajwadi Party government.
Addressing the party activists, CPI leader Asha Mishra said the Samajwadi Party had conveniently forgotten its election manifesto in which it had promised free electricity to farmers.