Farmers to oppose PM visit to Ballia

A group of farmers and a local outfit on Friday said they will oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the district on May 1.

The farmers alleged that their crops have been damaged due to preparations for the visit in Maldepur adjacent to the Lucknow-Ballia National Highway where the PM is scheduled to launch Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to provide LPG connections to women below poverty line.

Agitated farmers staged a protest demanding compensation for damage to crops. They were joined by Puvanchal Peoples Party (PPP), a local outfit, which announced that they will too oppose Modi’s visit. Gram Pradhan Vinod Paswan alleged that without the consent of land owners, works were carried out on the land and crops were damaged.