The farm laws are not an issue for farmers in Western Uttar Pradesh, who are in complete awe of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath due to a complete transformation in the law and order situation in the region, according to two top BJP leaders from West UP.
Farmers under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha held a mega gathering in Muzaffarnagar in West UP on Sunday and gave a clarion call to challenge the BJP in the state. This has raised a debate if the BJP will face reverses in West UP in 2022 elections — the region it had swept in 2017.
Union Minister and Muzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Balyan told News18 that the farm laws were not an issue at all for farmers of West UP. “Issues of our farmers are different — these are issues of our sugarcane farmers. If those issues are resolved, everything will be fine. These farm laws are not an issue for our farmers. The increase in sugarcane procurement price, as promised by our chief minister, will make a huge difference. Most sugar mills have cleared cane dues too, but issues of one or two groups are there,” Balyan told News18.
UP Minister of Sugarcane Development and MLA from Thana Bhawan in West UP Suresh Rana echoed similar sentiments, saying that CM Yogi had already assured farmers that sugarcane procurement price will be increased.
“This will happen very soon in this season itself. The procedure is on. Farmers are very happy with that. In West UP, the maximum support from farmers to BJP is due to the good law and order situation. In West UP, it was difficult for people to live earlier, girls faced danger when going to schools and every second day there was a riot. This has been completely changed under the BJP rule. The West UP farmer is a diwana (in awe) of Modi and Yogi,” Rana told News18 on the phone.
Farmer Agitation Has Turned Political: BJP
Balyan also said the people of UP will soon decide in 2022, but the farmer agitation has become “totally political”. “Political parties put up bhandars (eating facilities) yesterday (Sunday) at the gathering, people came with their flags. RLD office had a bhandara, Congress and Samajwadi Party also organised one. There were people from Lucknow and from Saifai,” Balyan said.
Rana, meanwhile, said “the involvement of Punjab” in the protest on Sunday showed that the intention is not to amend the laws. “The intention is political. Look at the kind of statements made,” Rana said. He added that it was “abnormal” that a panchayat was held in Muzaffarnagar just before the cane season, but no one raised the issue of sugarcane.
“This shows that we have resolved most of the farmers. Look at recent panchayat elections — we swept it and it was a total rural election. People then too said BJP will face problems,” Rana said.
Rana also added that CM Yogi had last month held an open debate with UP’s farmer groups. “The farmers praised the CM and PM on the sugarcane issue. They gave some suggestions like one gives in a family. They complained of cases due to stubble fires, disconnection of electricity connections and said some increase in cane procurement price would be good. CM solved all these issues at once. They were very happy and farmers know there is a process to increase the procurement price. We are proceeding on it,” Rana said.
He added that in UP for the first time in history, as on date “84% current season payment had been made despite Covid and not even a rupee was pending of cane dues from the last year”.
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