BKU announces a dharna in four states

BKU’s Rakesh Tikait speaks to the media. File pic/PTI

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday announced that farmers will stage dharnas in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand on February 21 to press their demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP.

Speaking to reporters after attending a panchayat in Sisauli here, Tikait said a resolution was passed during the meeting asking the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) to launch a tractor march to Delhi in the last week of February if the government does not accept farmers' demands. The panchayat was held as farmers' "Delhi Chalo" march, called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, to press the government to accept their demands entered the fifth day on Saturday.

Besides a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, no hike in electricity tariff. Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai and farmer leaders will meet on Sunday for the fourth round of talks.

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