Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday urged farmers to vote for a ruling party only if they are satisfied with its performance but choose another party otherwise, saying governments fear only the power of voters.
Addressing a press conference in Pilibhit, the Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson also appealed to people not to vote on caste, religion, language or regional considerations.
"I stay away from electoral politics, but the government fears only voters. If you are happy with the government's work, vote for it; otherwise, vote for another party. Do not vote on the basis of caste, religion, language or regionalism," he said.
Raising concerns over paddy procurement, Tikait alleged that middlemen were exploiting farmers by purchasing their produce at Rs 300-600 per quintal below the prevailing rates and subsequently selling it at higher prices in the name of farmers.
"Middlemen are taking advantage of farmers' helplessness and buying paddy at Rs 300-600 per quintal less before selling it at higher prices," he alleged.
He said procurement centres in Pilibhit had opened 15 days behind schedule and rice mills had still not been attached to the procurement system, forcing farmers to sell their produce at lower prices.
Demanding an MSP guarantee law, Tikait said, "The government should implement a law guaranteeing minimum support price so that farmers are not forced to sell their crops below the MSP." He said farmers' organisations have been raising the demand for the past six years.
On sugarcane payments, he said more than Rs 100 crore in dues from the previous crushing season remained unpaid in Pilibhit.
Referring to the Bajaj Sugar Group, he said its 16 mills had been allocated around six crore quintals of sugarcane, but farmers were not receiving timely payments.
He demanded that mills failing to clear dues on time be sold or their reserved cane areas reduced and allocated to other mills.
Tikait warned that farmers' organisations would be compelled to launch protests if their demands remained unaddressed.
The press conference came a day after he met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav at his home in Lucknow on Wednesday to discuss farmers' issues.
Sharing a photograph of the meeting on X, Yadav on Wednesday evening said farmers were among the most distressed sections in Uttar Pradesh and reiterated his slogan, "Jo peedit, woh PDA", adding that the 'A' in PDA also stood for 'Annadata' (food providers).
(With inputs from PTI)