SHIVAMOGGA: The ongoing farmers’ agitation against the new farm laws on Delhi’s borders spread to South India officially on Saturday with the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) launching the Raitha Mahapanchayat movement in Shivamogga.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, addressing the Mahapanchayat, called upon farmers to get ready to lay siege to Bengaluru with tractors.
The convention, attended by thousands of farmers and different sections of the public, passed many resolutions, including withdrawal of three farm laws unconditionally by the Union Government and withdrawal of Land Reforms Act, APMC Act, Electricity Act and Anti-Cow Slaughter Act by the Karnataka government and condemning the attitude of CM B S Yediyurappa for not speaking to protesting Karnataka farmers.
Tikait said, “You have to lay siege to Bengaluru from all directions. Around 30,000 tractors are surrounding Delhi. You should also march to Bengaluru with tractors.”
He said, “We need to launch the movement in every urban area until these three anti farm laws are withdrawn and a new law is brought in to provide MSP. Many more laws will be passed to make it impossible for common people and farmers to buy milk, electricity, seeds and pesticides.”
He warned, “A big conspiracy is being hatched to snatch away land from farmers. Big corporates are in search of your land. Youths will be unemployed if land is grabbed from farmers. Farmers will be given loans through Kisan Credit Cards taking land as collateral. When you fail to repay the loan, they will take away your land. The labour laws are weakened to make village people who used to work on land to work for meagre salaries at factories in future.”
BKU general secretary Yudhvir Singh criticised the Centre for feeding the ‘opium of religion’ to people. Krantikari Kisan Union Punjab president Darshan Pal too was present