On Monday, the spotlight will shift to the 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' in Lucknow, two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his government's decision to repeal the three farm laws. Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella group of 40 farmer unions, is organising the massive gathering.
According to sources, farmer unions will not only seek to make the Minimum Support Price (MSP) a legal guarantee, but will also press for the dismissal of junior home minister Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son Ashish was allegedly involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, which killed eight people, including four farmers.
According to Bhartiya Kisan Union state vice-president Harinam Singh Verma, the mahapanchayat the mahapanchayat, which is scheduled to be conducted at Eco Garden near Jail Road in Lucknow is likely to draw a large number of farmers not only from UP but also from neighboring states. Naresh Tikait, a BKU leader who organised the farmers' protest at the Delhi border, is also expected to attend the 'mahapanchayat' on Monday.
"It is not simply a matter of repealing three contentious agriculture laws. In addition to taking action against Mishra, the government must reassure farmers on MSP "Verma said.
The stern stance against Mishra comes only a day after Congress general Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged PM Modi not to share the dais with Mishra at the DG conference in Lucknow. Mishra is said to have left the conference barely 20 minutes after arriving. Varun Gandhi, a BJP MP from Pilibhit, also sought to increase pressure on Modi by calling for "strict action" against Mishra.
Varun, on the other hand, praised Modi for his "large heart" and welcomed the repeal of farm laws, but noted that many "innocent lives" might have been saved if the decision had been made earlier.
Not surprisingly, the BJP brass is taking a cautious approach to dealing with the crisis. Kameshwar Singh, president of the UP BJP Kisan Morcha, claimed the party has already begun reaching out to farmers ahead of the state elections.
"We will inform farmers about pro-farmer initiatives taken by the government in recent years," he continued. Since last week, the BJP has been holding tractor rallies, and in the next 10 days, over 30000 vehicles carrying farmers and BJP leaders will travel the state with party flags, symbols, and messages.
