GHAZIABAD/NOIDA: The farmers protesting at UP Gate and Chilla borders started a relay hunger strike on Monday. Every day, 11 farmers at the two sites will sit on fast for an entire day.
At UP Gate, three farmers each from Meerut and Baghpat and others from Ghaziabad, Rampur, Bareilly and Haldwani participated in the first day of the strike. “It’s unfortunate that farmers, who feed the entire country, are being forced to go hungry so that the government listens to them,” said Rajvir Singh, who was among the 11 to hold the hunger strike on Monday.
Meanwhile, Rakesh Tikait, the Bharatiya Kisan Union leader who has been part of talks with the Centre, came down heavily on the Hind Mazdoor Kisan Samiti for holding a rally in Indirapuram in support of the three agriculture laws on Sunday. He accused the government of trying to create fissures within the farmer groups and derailing the movement.
“We have no idea about this outfit. They claim to be a body of farmers, but they cropped up overnight. We have ample reasons to believe that the government is trying to create confusion among protesters though this outfit,” he said. Tikait went on to explain why. “The urgency with which the Union agriculture minister met the so-called leaders of this organisation only goes to prove my point,” he added. Tikait alleged that most of the participants in Sunday’s rally at the Ramlila ground were “outsiders” hired by the samiti. “People were brought to the rally and even paid to attend it. We have reports that many of them who attended the rally were looking for organisers as they were not paid by them,” Tikait claimed. “This is not any genuine farmers’ union. It has come up at a crucial juncture to throw our protest off track,” he added.
Shamsher Rana, the national media in-charge of BKU, also raised questions on the outfit. “Genuine farmers are being stopped by police who are putting up barricades at every point. What surprises me is how 100 tractor trolleys with so many so-called farmers were allowed to reach Indirapuram and participate in a rally. This motive of the outfit is really suspect,” he added.
At the Chilla border, 11 farmers from several districts participated in a fast. “Our members are being stopped at Mathura, Agra, Hathras, Shahjahanpur, Etah and Jewar by the police. The cops have set up barricades at several,” said Ajit Sharma, a protester at Chilla.
A similar 24-hour hunger strike was observed at Shahjahanpur border in Alwar. Swaraj Abhiyaan leader Yogendra Yadav, former Jaipur collector Jagroop Singh Yadav and Congress functionary Lalit Yadav have appealed to villagers in Shahjahanpur and Neemrana to support the stir. “On Tuesday, I will be among the 11 to observe a hunger strike,” said Jagroop Yadav.
(With inputs from Jaipur)