Political News: After ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Muzaffarnagar, Opposition rallies behind farmers

Opposition parties have extended support to farmers’ agitation, which intensified with a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Muzaffarnagar on Sunday. Farmers’ unions plan to hold similar protest meets in various parts of election-bound Uttar Pradesh and other states. Opposition parties demanded that the Centre accept farmers’ demands for scrapping the contentious farm laws and warned against any attempt to crack down on them.

A day after farmers’ show of strength in Muzaffarnaga, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, the main challenger to the BJP in the assembly polls, tweeted: “Yesterday’s unprecedented show of unity by farmers in western Uttar Pradesh and by teachers and general public in eastern Uttar Pradesh has shown that the oppressive, divisive and arrogant power of BJP will never comeback. There is a wave of public opinion against the havoc of BJP. The BJP is over.”

The Congress urged all Opposition parties to back the farmers’ call for Bharat Bandh later this month. Chairman of AICC panel for agitation Digvijaya Singh said: “The kisan Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar has given a call for Bharat Bandh on September 27. All non-BJP parties should work to make it a grand success.”

Opposition parties also cautioned the Centre and BJP state governments against attempts to break the farmers’ agitation. Even as the BJP government of Haryana clamped prohibitory orders in Karnal, where farmers are scheduled to hold a major protest on Tuesday, PCC president Kumari Selja hit out at the BJP dispensation. “BJP governments, especially in Haryana, not only refused to hold honest discussions with farmers to address their issues, but they also cracked down on agitating farmers wherever they got a chance. ”

CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said, “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Hindustan, People united, can never be defeated.”