GUWAHATI: A group of 15 peasants’ activists, who joined the Delhi farmers’ protests against the three farm laws under the aegis of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), concluded a marathon campaign in four legislative constituencies in the agrarian belt on the south of Brahmaputra in Kamrup district on Sunday, and urged people to reject the BJP-led NDA in the state.
This zone has been a nerve centre of farmers’ activism since the days of communist revolutionary Bishnu Prasad Rava.
The group during the campaign, which was started on March 1, urged voters to reject the “anti-farmer” BJP and its key ally AGP in the elections by distributing pamphlets, holding street corner meetings and campaigning in shops and commercial establishments against farm bills and price rise.
“These four constituencies have a history of massive farmer protests. In the 1950s, thousands of farmers joined the Adhikar Andolan steered by the Revolutionary Communist Party of India (RCPI) under leadership of Bishnu Prasad Rava. Somewhere, the people of this region have felt that the exploitation on the farmers is still continuing. And for that, the people have given support to our appeal to oust the “anti-farmer” BJP and its ally AGP so that the farmers’ rights can be secured in future,” Dinesh Das, one of the activists, who is also the general secretary of the Sangrami Krishak Sramik Sangha, said.
He further said their appeal to protect the interest of farmers as well as people of the state by rejecting the NDA has got an overwhelming response during the campaign and this has convinced the activists that the NDA will face the music of their ‘misrule’ in the final phase of the elections, where 40 constituencies of lower Assam will go for polling on Tuesday.
“It is the right time to give the right feedback to the ruling BJP for their move to implement contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, three firm bills and large scale privatization. An uncertain future is looming over lakhs of people including farmers due to BJP’s such kind of attitude. This will definitely cost them because people are not fool. They have witnessed everything in the last five years and unequivocally extended support to our call to oust the BJP,” Das said, while saying that the state cannot be allowed to go in the hands of BJP.
He said though the new regional political parties — AJP and Raijor Dal — will impact the vote share, he is still optimistic that people have made up their mind and will give mandate to grand alliance spearheaded by the Congress.
Boko and Chaygaon constituencies will see a fight mainly between Congress and BJP’s key ally AGP. Both constituencies have a majority Muslim population, which will play a crucial role in elections.
In Boko, AGP candidate Jyoti Prasad Das, who won the constituency in 1996 and 2006, was defeated by Congress’s Nandita Das by 17,594 votes in 2016.
In Chaygaon, AGP candidate Kamala Kanta Kalita, who won the constituency three times on a party ticket, was defeated by Congress candidate Rekibuddin Ahmed in two consecutive assembly elections since 2011.