Lucknow: Samajwadi Party national president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav met a delegation of farmers and representatives of several khaps from western Uttar Pradesh at the Samajwadi Party state headquarters in Lucknow on Monday. Samajwadi Party national secretary and former cabinet minister Rajendra Chaudhary and state president Shyam Lal Pal were also present.
Interacting with the farmers, Yadav said the Samajwadi Party was “the party of farmers” and described the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections as particularly important for the farming community and its future.
Yadav accused the BJP government of neglecting farmers over the past decade, alleging that farmers had repeatedly faced difficulties in obtaining fertilisers and seeds on time. He alleged that middlemen and profiteering had become widespread and that farmers were not receiving remunerative prices for their crops.
He said that if the Samajwadi Party formed the government in 2027, sugarcane farmers would receive payments within 24 hours. He also promised adequate electricity, fertilisers, seeds, water and irrigation facilities, along with remunerative prices for farm produce. Yadav further said farmers would receive free medical treatment and argued that the benefits generated from ethanol production should reach farmers.
Yadav said rural development would be given priority under a Samajwadi Party government and that policy decisions would focus on farmers’ interests. He recalled measures taken by previous Samajwadi Party governments for the farming community and said farmers still remembered those initiatives.
The visiting farmers said they had confidence in Yadav and were aware of his initiatives during his tenure as chief minister, including an increase in the agriculture budget and various facilities for farmers. Representatives of the participating khaps also pledged to work collectively to secure a majority for the Samajwadi Party in the 2027 Assembly elections and support Yadav for the post of chief minister.
During the meeting, Chaudhary Virendra Pradhan of Budhana in Muzaffarnagar presented a plough to Yadav. Farmers from Baghpat also met him carrying a traditional hookah.
Among those who met Yadav were Samajwadi Party leader Gaurav Chaudhary of Siwal Khas, Meerut; Khokhar Khap leader Chaudhary Subhash Khokhar of Baghpat; Man Khap leader Chaudhary Mohan Lal Man of Chhaprauli; Malik Khap leader Chaudhary Azad Malik of Baghpat; Dangi Khap leader Chaudhary Dharampal of Baraut; Kisan Union state general secretary Kapil Poonia of Meerut; Mahipal Singh Man of Chhaprauli; Anuj Poonia of Meerut; Pramod of Chhaprauli; Chaudhary Ramveer Pradhan of Pura Mahadev; Chaudhary Kallu Dealer of Pura Mahadev; Urmila Chaudhary of Meerut; Jaiveer Balyan Pehalwan; Ravi Balyan; and Chaudhary Virendra Balyan Pradhan.
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