The farmers of Lakhimpur Kheri, who are yet to know about the infamous October incident, are contemplating using the NOTA option in the upcoming assembly elections. He alleged that the two main political parties of the state, BJP and Samajwadi Party (SP) have betrayed him while other parties are ineffective. Farmers with a large population in Lakhimpur Kheri district, located in the Terai belt, said they have decided not to vote for the BJP because of controversial agricultural laws, but they do not want to support the SP like the previous Akhilesh. The Yadav-led government had waived off Rs 2,000 crore interest amount payable to farmers by sugarcane mill owners.
Many farmers said that they would opt for NOTA (none of the above) on February 23, if necessary, as all parties give them word of mouth during elections but do not take any concrete steps to address their grievances.
Jagpal Dhillon, a farmer from Maraucha village in Palia tehsil here, told PTI that all political parties—BJP, SP, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress—give him false assurances and use them “as goods” during elections.
“We have no hope from any political party,” he said, adding that the BJP will have to bear the brunt of the Tikonia incident of October 3. Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence during a farmers’ protest in Tikoniya village of Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3. Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra has been made the main accused and is in jail.
Kewal Singh, who along with his two brothers owns 45 acres of land in Palia, says farmers will not forget how the previous Akhilesh Yadav government waived off the Rs 2,000 crore interest amount that sugarcane farmers got from mill owners. were entitled to receive. “The condition of farmers worsened under the BJP rule, which ironically promised to double our income,” he said.
According to the Sugarcane Control Order 1966, in case of non-payment of the outstanding cane price within 14 days, the sugar mill owners will have to pay an interest of 15 per cent to the farmers. However, the SP government waived off this interest amount, which had risen to around Rs 2,000 crore, saying the industry was going through a lean phase.
When asked whom he would support in the upcoming elections, Singh said, “We have no hope from the BJP or the SP. The rest of the parties don’t matter. A large number of farmers are in favor of abstaining from voting. But if necessary, we will press the NOTA button. Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan chief VM Singh alleged that the SP and BJP have “betrayed” the farmers.
“The SP-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance and the BJP are fooling the farmers. Why support either of us,” he wanted to know.
About 75 percent farmers of Lakhimpur Kheri district cultivate sugarcane. Nine sugar mills run by cooperatives and the private sector crush about 15 lakh quintals of sugarcane here. Farmer leader Anjani Dixit, who supplied sugarcane to a mill in Gola, said that the sugar mills of the district have paid the farmers only till February 6 last year.
“Till now, the sugar mills have not paid us. Earlier the SP government did not pay attention to the farmers. Today Akhilesh Yadav (during Anna Sankalp Abhiyan) says that he is with the farmers. “Then Narendra Modi made promises. He said that his party will ensure that we get our dues paid. Even after five years our concerns have not been resolved.
Dixit said that due to non-payment of sugarcane arrears, farmers are stuck in the quagmire of debt. “Our children are unable to study and get married. The judiciary is the only recourse left. I don’t know who to vote for,” he said.
Sukhdev Singh, former president of Cooperative Sugarcane Development Society Ltd. Palia Kalan, said that sugarcane is cultivated in 44 districts of Uttar Pradesh. There are 44 sugar mills in the state out of which 22 are privately operated. He said that these sugar mills owe farmers Rs 12,000 crore in two years.
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