The protesting farmers have planned to hold a massive march in Lucknow on November 22 to convey a message throughout Uttar Pradesh, just as the state goes into the campaign mode for the approaching assembly elections early next year.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella organization coordinating 500+ farmer groups protesting the three contentious farm laws passed by the Centre last year, has decided to hold the mega Kisan rally in Lucknow in November when the busy harvest season is over and farmers are free to participate in full force. Farmers have been on a dharna at the Delhi border since November 26, 2020, demanding that three legislations made by the Centre be repealed.
The Lucknow demonstration will take place around the time of the one-year commemoration of the Delhi blockade.
In order to further their mission, the SKM has been campaigning "against voting for the BJP" in all of the states where elections are scheduled.
In the next round of elections, five states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, where the farmers' movement has gained the most traction, will hold assembly elections.
The Lucknow rally was originally scheduled for the end of October, but it was postponed until the end of November to avoid clashing with harvest season.
Meanwhile, farmer leaders such as Rakesh Tikait are holding mahapanchayats in 75 districts across the state to campaign against the governing BJP in the state and at the centre level, as well as to raise awareness about the problems that the farmers are fighting for.
To recall, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a countrywide 'rail roko' movement on Monday, seeking the dismissal and arrest of Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, in which his son Ashish Mishra Teni is an accused.
