Rush of western UP farmers unabated at Ghazipur border protest site
NEW DELHI: Angered by the attitude of the Centre towards the farmers’ agitation, along with pending dues of sugarcane crop, farmers in large numbers from western Uttar Pradesh are joining the protest site at Ghazipur.
“Every government has increased the procurement price of sugarcane crops except the current Yogi Adityanth government. Our payments from sugar mills are overdue. This fight has now become very important for the freedom of farmers. Businesses and governments both are using the farmers for their own benefits. Our future is at stake”, said Ankur Tyagi, former chairman of Cane Society of Modi Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP.
Similar views are shared by farmers from Agra, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Shamli falling in western UP, also known as ‘sugar bowl of India’ because of the highest cultivation of sugarcane crop in the country.
According to farmers the price of sugarcane crop per quintal is set by the government after which it is usually supplied to scores of sugar mills in the region. The complaint by farmers is that this year, the UP government has not set that price, causing uncertainty among the farmers.
Manish Chaudhary from Muzaffarnagar, who was part of the ‘mahapanchayat’ called by BKU leader Naresh Tikait two days back, says people should “wake up” to this agitation and join before it’s late.
“The public is under the hallucination of the Modi government. They should realize the new farm laws will hurt their pocket the most. For example, a farmer like me can always grow food for my family, but what will the middle class do if we stop selling? If these laws are passed, the prices of food will shoot up and will go beyond the reach of the common man, forcing him to buy whatever the big companies command them,” said Choudhary.
(Photo | Parveen Negi, EPS)
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut met Rakesh Tikait to show his solidarity and activist Medha Patkar joined the farm leader.
New entrants are reaching the protest site, venturing out up to where the Delhi Police has heavily barricaded the road clicking selfies and making videos to send back home.
“I am taking a video to show my friends in my neighbourhood about the ‘special arrangement’ made by the BJP government to stop farmers from raising their voice. They should take back the laws,” said Sunny Singh from Amritsar.