Bharatiya Kisan Union calls for tractor march on Feb 21

Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 18 (IANS) The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has announced that a tractor march would be held at all district headquarters of Uttar Pradesh on February 21.Farmers would park their tractors on highways going towards Delhi on February 26 and 27 in support of protesting farmers and their demands, including minimum support price.Addressing a Mahapanchayat at its headquarters in Sisauli, Muzaffarnagar, on Saturday, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait appealed to farmers to show their full strength during the tractor march on February 21.Addressing a huge gathering of farmers, Tikait made a scathing attack on the ruling BJP government and said, “It is a battle to protect ‘nasal and fasal’ ( generation and crop).”Tikait appealed to farmers to show their full strength during the tractor march on February 21 and then park tractors on highways from Haridwar to Delhi on February 26 and 27 without disturbing traffic.The farmer leader accused vested interests of hatching a conspiracy to take over ‘roti’ through the ruling government because they had understood that the business of ‘roti’ was more profitable. People ate ‘roti’ 700 times a year while gold was worn by women barely 17 times a year on festivals and during celebrations.He warned farmers that the government may try to break the unity of farmers but they should be ready to foil any such attempt.Tikait claimed that he was also approached and asked what he wanted but he said the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha should be contacted instead of an individual .The BKU leader asked the gathering to be ready to spend one-year earnings on the movement because it was a battle of farmers’ survival.–IANSamita/khz