UP farmers to take out tractor rallies to intensify protest at Delhi borders

As the Covid-19 cases have seen a decline and the "Unlock" process has started, farmers in Uttar Pradesh is all set to take out tractor rallies to intensify the movement at Delhi borders.

Ghaziabad: Farmers' agitation which has been going on at Delhi borders against three farm laws for the last seven months is set to gain momentum once again as the process of "Unlock" has started across the country. The movement which started in November 2020 has slowed down due to the increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in the country.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) state president Rajveer Singh Jadaun said that the movement is all set to intensify once again and tractor rallies will be taken out to connect people. He said that farmers sitting in different districts of Uttar Pradesh are agitated and want to come to the Ghazipur border as soon as possible. "Keeping Covid norms in mind, we have decided to bring a rotation policy to check the crowd at Ghazipur border. Farmers of only two districts, at a time, will take out the rally under the rotation policy. The rally will be completely peaceful and we will also make sure that no anti-social elements try to disturb the peace," he added.

Speaking further about the rally, the farmer leader said that the first phase of the rally will start from Saharanpur-Muzaffarnagar on June 24 and subsequently farmers of other districts will also take it out. "Tractor rally from districts like Bijnor-Meerut, Moradabad-Amroha, Agra-Mathura etc. will also leave for the border whose dates will be announced soon by the Kisan Union," he informed. When asked that the rally is also being seen through the political lens keeping in view the 2022 state assembly election, Jadaun said the farmers union has nothing to do with elections.

Several farmers have been protesting at Delhi's borders since November 2020, seeking the withdrawal of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. They have also been demanding a new law to guarantee a minimum support price for crops. However, the Centre has described the laws as pro-farmer.