Uttar Pradesh govt anti-farmer, says Priyanka Gandhi

Mirzapur- Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Monday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of being anti-farmer, a day after people in Mirzapur opposed construction on land acquired by the government for a freight corridor.

In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi attaching a video said, "The farmers of Mirzapur had planted their crop with hard work and police in the BJP government crushed their standing crop."

"Yesterday, the chief minister and the prime minister had made a lot of false announcements for farmers and not even 24 hours have passed and see the behaviour with women farmers. The BJP is full of anti-farmer feelings," she added.

https://twitter.com/priyankagandhi/status/1234371704706584576

Priyanka's tweet comes after farmers at villages in the Adalhaat police station area on Sunday opposed the construction of the dedicated freight corridor by lying in front of earth-moving machines of the construction agency.

Though farmers alleged that police resorted to a lathi-charge, resulting in injuries to nine of them, the district administration has refuted the claims. According to Chunar SDM Jung Bahadur Patel, the land for the project was acquired in 2009 and the compensation was paid to farmers in 2013-2014.

"In the revenue records, the Railways has been shown as the owner of the land since 2014," DM Sushil Kumar Patel said.

"The farmers had then promised that once the standing crop was harvested, the work on the freight corridor could be started but they sowed their fields again," the DM said.

On Saturday, senior district officials had gone to the villages to ask the farmers to allow the construction work but they insisted that they will get the land measured after harvesting their present crop. The company has been insisting that this was delaying the work and the construction cost is rising, SDM Jung Bahadur Patel said.

"The farmers' protest on Sunday was led by women and there was no lathi-charge," the SDM stressed.

National president of Bharatiya Kisan Sena Ramraj Patel alleged that nine people, including three women, were injured in police action. A delegation of farmers Monday met the district magistrate and handed over a memorandum demanding immediate stopping of work, compensation at the current prevailing rates and government jobs for those whose land has been acquired.

Meanwhile, Congress state unit vice-president Laliteshpati Tripathi said police indulged in a lathi-charge on farmers and his party will fight for them at every level.

"The project is late by years and there should not have been any problem in waiting for another month," Tripathi added.

(PTI)