To hit BJP where it hurts, farmers adopt Vote ki Chot slogan

Farmers protesting against the three farm reform laws on Tuesday announced plans to campaign in all five poll-bound States against “the party that brought anti-farmer laws, repressed and played with the dignity of the kisan in India”.

Clearly targeting the BJP which is aiming big in West Bengal Assembly Elections, the farmers will hold their first rally in Kolkata on March 12.

Addressing a joint press conference, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced a series of nation-wide agitations along with ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) with whom they held a joint meeting on Monday. The MSP Dilao Abhiyan will start from March 5 in Gulbarga, Karnataka and fan out to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere. Throughout this month, agitations will be held with a special focus on women farmers on the International Women’s Day on March 8. The SKM has also given a call to the general population to boycott goods by big corporations in their everyday consumption.

The big focus will be on vote ki chot (injury through vote) in the upcoming Assembly elections.

“The powers that be in India do not understand Constitutional values, the ideas of justice and compassion. They only understand power politics. So we have decided to give them vote ki chot . We are appealing to people in all the States going to the polls to vote against this party which made anti-farmer laws, humiliated farmers and unleashed repression on them. We will start on March 12, the leadership of the SKM will be in Kolkata to issue our appeal to people of West Bengal,” said Yogendra Yadav, speaking on behalf of the SKM.

‘Widespread protest’

According to Dharmendra Mallik of the BKU (Tikait), the farm movement is entering its next phase where it will move forward from the protest sites on Delhi borders.

“They first said it was only Punjab based. Then they said it was Punjab and Haryana. Now they are sending their MPs to villages in western UP and I am happy to inform you that the BJP’s MPs are not being allowed to enter the villages. There will be Kisan Mahapanchayats everywhere. The movement is not just in Delhi borders. It has reached every village,” Mallik said.

Ramzan Chowdhary from Mewat region in Haryana and Rajasthan, said people have decided to break the “cycle of division in India’s social fabric by the BJP”.

“On March 15, a big rally will be held in Khanwa Maidan (on Bharatpur-Dholpur road, Rajasthan). We need to reclaim our history which is being twisted to create divisions in the society. In Khanwa Maidan, Hasankhan Mewati fought along with Rana Sanga against the army of Babur. It is a historical battle which needs to be commemorated because the BJP/RSS calls us “ Babur Ki Aulad ”. We fought for our country with our people. We were with Rana Sanga. We will not sit back and watch this force divide Jat-versus-non Jat, Sikh-versus-Hindu, Maratha-versus-non Maraha. This movement will link Indians together everywhere,” he said.

Jogender Nain of the BKU (Nain) said popular appeal will be issued for people to boycott Reliance Petrol Stations, and retail goods of big corporations that support this Government.

“ Kaun Banata Hindustan, Bharat Ka Mazdoor Kisan (Who makes India great? It is the workers and farmers)” is the slogan they have coined for the next round of agitational programmes.

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