Agitating farmers announce 'Mission UP, Uttarakhand'

Ahead of elections next year, farmers protesting against agricultural reforms on Monday announced 'Mission Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand', taking the agitation to every village of the two states.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), spearheading the eight-month protests at Delhi's borders, was also planning a farmers' meeting at Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh, the hub of communal riots in 2013, in a bid to put up a show of unity.

“We want to strengthen the farmers' movement as it has happened in Punjab and Haryana,” Rakesh Tikait, leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, said.

The choice of Muzaffarnagar as the venue of the Kisan Mahapanchayat is also seen as an attempt to heal the Jat-Muslim divide caused by the 2013 riots. BJP has swept Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the 2017 assembly elections.

Also read: Rakesh Tikait says farmers will 'boycott' BJP in UP polls

The sustained farmers' agitation on the borders of the national capital has also seen coming together of Jats and Muslims, a move that could benefit the opposition ranks.

The SKM also announced a tractor rally on Independence Day at Ghazipur, located on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, where the agitating farmers have planned a flag hoisting ceremony.

The SKM has divided the movement into four phases.

In the first phase, contact and coordination will be established with the organisations active in the movement in the states and in the second phase there will be division-wise farmers' convention and district-wise preparatory meeting.

In the third phase, a “historic” mahapanchayat of farmers from across the country would be organised in Muzaffarnagar on September 5 and in the fourth phase, a mahapanchayat would be organised at all the divisional headquarters.