Farmers umbrella body Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) concluded Mission Uttar Pradesh on March 2, 2022 in Varanasi where leaders asked the people yet again to “punish the anti-farmer BJP”. Leaders declared that the eastern region polling will play an important role towards this goal.
SKM leader Hannan Mollah clarified at the beginning of the press conference that farmers have been forced to take this step of not voting for the ruling regime, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the assembly elections after the government failed to deliver on its written promises from December 2021.
“The government has broken its promise. It neither formed a committee on MSP, nor withdrew the lawsuits filed against the farmers during the agitation, nor provided assistance [compensation] to the relatives of martyred farmers,” said Mollah.
Further, he pointed out that Union Minister Ajay Mishra, the alleged accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre, retains his position in the Cabinet. Although this demand was not included in the written assurance, farmers condemned the speedy bail given to his son and co-accused Ashish, and that this bail was not contested by the government. Four farmers and a local journalist died in Tikonia village on October 3, 2021 when Ashish allegedly mowed down protesters with an SUV vehicle.
To voice its anger, the SKM first observed the Vishwasghat Diwas (Betrayal Day) on January 31, and then announced Mission UP and Mission Uttarakhand. Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi plays an important role in this campaign. However, SKM leader Yogendra Yadav said that the goal of these campaigns is not to seek votes for any party but to punish the BJP for betraying the peasant movement.
“The youth are demanding employment, the price of their crops, inflation is at its peak, payment of sugarcane has stopped. BJP’s promise of procuring ‘every grain of crops’ proved to be a jumla. For all these crimes of the BJP, farmers and workers will punish it by hurting their votes,” said Yadav.
Leaders stressed that the farmers’ struggle will continue even after elections. However, the eastern region will play an important role in the battle of MSP in the state. A local farmer leader appealed to the audience that MSP procurement at C2+50 percent is crucial for farmers.
Earlier Modi at an election rally in Hardoi said that villagers had benefited from the free ration scheme and said that people “have tasted Modi’s salt and will not betray Modi.” This same sentiment was mimicked by other BJP leaders as well. To this, the leader reminded the government that even salt is produced by farmers.
“Punishment of the BJP will also hurt its anti-farmer mentors Ambani-Adani and many corporate brokers,” said Yadav.
Along with other leaders, Madhya Pradesh’s prominent farmer leader Dr Sunil Sunilam was also present at the event. He appealed to the farmer-worker unity that formed the strength of the recent farmers’ struggle. During the 13 months of the movement, workers joined with farmers and the latter will return the sentiment by joining worker causes.
Similarly, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) State President Rajveer Singh Jadoon appealed to the people to clean up “BJP’s mess” in elections. “The story of BJP will end in Varanasi itself,” he said.
Already, hundreds of students and youths from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and other states have been distributing pamphlets in Varanasi for the last several days, asking people not to vote for the BJP in any village or house election.
Aside from national SKM leaders, senior farmer leader Sunil Sahastrabuddhe, Akhil Bharatiya Krantikari Kisan Sabha provincial general secretary Vimal Trivedi, Kisan Sangram Samiti Provincial President Satyadev Pal, Janwadi Kisan Sabha’s Rajneesh Bharti, Azadi Bachao Andolan’s Ramdhiraj, Kisan Vikas Manch President Shyam Bihari and more than 250 Awadh, prominent farmer leaders of the eastern region also attended the event.
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