Thousands gather for kisan mahapanchayat
LUCKNOW/MUZAFFARNAGAR: Thousands of farmers from Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states on Sunday gathered at Muzaffarnagar for a ‘Kisan mahapanchayat’ to “saving the country”, just months ahead of the crucial UP assembly polls.
The event was organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) at the Government Inter College ground in Muzaffarnagar in protest against the Centre’s controversial farm laws.
“These meetings will be held across the country. We have to stop the country from getting sold. Farmers should be saved, the country should be saved; business, employees and youth should be saved--this is the aim of the rally,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said. Several other leaders who have been spearheading the stir against the three laws including Medha Patkar and Yogendra Yadav were seen on the dais.
BKU media in-charge Dharmendra Malik said farmers belonging to 300 organisations spread across different states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, among others, have gathered for the event.
He said over 5,000 ‘langars’ (food stalls), including some mobile stalls, have been set up for the participants.
The farmers, including women carrying flags of different organisations and wearing different coloured caps, were seen arriving at the venue in buses, cars and tractors.
City magistrate Abhishek Singh rejected the request, saying it cannot be allowed due to security reasons.
The district authorities have posted police personnel at the residences of Union minister Sanjiv Balyan and BJP MLA Umesh Malik here, as a precautionary measure.
The SKM on Saturday claimed that thousands of farmers from 15 states had reached Muzaffarnagar to participate in the mahapanchayat.
The umbrella body of 40 farmer unions spearheading the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws said the event would prove that the agitation had the support of “all castes, religions, states, classes, small traders and other sections of society”.
“The mahapanchayat of September 5 will make the YogiModi governments realise the power of farmers, farm labourers and supporters of the farm movement. The Muzaffarnagar mahapanchayat will be the biggest ever in the last nine months,” the SKM had said in a statement.
It also said that 100 medical camps had been set up for the farmers attending the mahapanchayat.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi on Sunday called the protesting farmers “our own flesh and blood” and suggested that the government should re-engage with them in reaching common ground.
Several rounds of discussions between the protesting farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock.
The Congress also voiced support for the farmer’s agitation, with party leader Rahul Gandhi saying the call of truth is echoing and an “unjust government” will have to listen.
“The call of truth is echoing. You have to listen, unjust government!” Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
Priyanka Gandhi also voiced support for the mahapanchayat, saying, “Farmers are the voice of this country. Farmers are the pride of the country. Arrogance of any power cannot withstand the roar of the farmers.” The whole country is with the farm
ers in the fight to save agriculture and in demanding their dues in lieu of their hard work, the Congress general secretary said.
Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said those stealing the farms of farmers are traitors.
Voicing support for the mahapanchayat, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot expressed confidence that the mahapanchayat organised under the leadership of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will prove to be giving strength to the farmers’ interests.
“May this mahapanchayat prove to be a milestone in the direction of a peaceful farmers’ movement,” Pilot said in a tweet in Hindi. Meanwhile, the Muzaffarnagar administration denied Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhry’s request to sprinkle flowers from a helicopter on the venue and participants of the mahapanchayat.
Farmers, largely from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, are on protest since November last year, demanding a rollback of a set of laws to liberalise the farm sector in a challenge to the Modi government.
The farmers’ protest against the three contentious laws has completed over nine months since they first arrived at Delhi borders. They have been demanding the repeal of the laws, which they are afraid will do away with the MSP system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations. The government has insisted that these laws have given farmers new opportunity to sell their produce and rejected the criticism that they are aimed at doing away with the minimum support price regime and farm mandis.