Chennai: Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading anti- farm law protests in Delhi, will send its leaders to poll-bound states to appeal to farmers there to defeat the BJP in assembly elections, leaders of the outfit said.
The protesting farmers will also block the KMP (Western Peripheral) Expressway on 6 March as the anti-farm law protest at Delhi borders completes 100 days. The expressway will be blocked at various points for five hours from 11 am on 6 March, SKM leader Yogendra Yadav said.
He said SKM leaders will hold a public meeting in Kolkata on 12 March to appeal to the farmers of poll-bound states to punish the BJP.
SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said that SKM teams will visit poll-bound states, including West Bengal and Kerala, to appeal to farmers to defeat the BJP.
“We will not seek votes for any party. We will appeal to them to vote for those candidates who can defeat the BJP which has failed to address farmers’ issues,” Rajewal said at a joint press conference of the SKM at Singhu border.
Those who are sitting in power do not understand the language of justice, Constitution or good and bad, Yadav said, adding that they only understand the language of power, elections and votes.
“So, the farmers have decided to hurt them through votes. We are appealing to voters in five poll-bound states to punish this party (BJP) and its allies who enacted anti-farmers laws, repressed farmers and tried to humiliate them”, Yadav said.
The morcha leaders will also visit Karnataka where farmers are getting at least Rs 1000 less than MSP on various crops, Yadav said.
Farmers will also visit mandis, beginning from Gulbarga on 5 March, to seek minimum support price for their produce.
On Womens’ Day on 8 March, women protesters will lead the protest at Delhi borders and other places across the country, Yadav said.
The SKM held a general body meeting of its constituents at the Singhu border on Monday, preparing its action plan for taking forward the movement.
The SKM has given a call to the people to install black flags at their houses and wear black armbands as a mark of support to the movement as it completes 100 days on 6 March.
The SKM has decided to support the central trade unions which are observing 15 March as ‘anti-privatisation’ day. The SKM will support the call of trade unions by marking it as ‘anti-corporatisation’ day, and extend solidarity to their protests on that day all over India, a statement by the outfit said.