New Delhi, May 3, 2021: India’s farmer leaders, who are protesting over farm deregulation laws, unanimously demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Akhil Gogoi, a peasant leader and an RTI activist who fought the assembly elections from behind the bars in Assam and won.
Goigoi, who is a renowned Assamese farmer leader, launched his party Raijor Dal and fought the recently concluded Assam assembly election from Sivasagar constituency. He fought the election from right inside the jail and defeated BJP candidate Surabhi Rajkonwari.
It has been more than 150 days that tens of thousands of farmers are sitting on the borders of Delhi and continuing their protest against the 2020 farm laws that they want to be scrapped.
The protesting farmers received a big boost from the assembly election results in Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
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Farmer leaders thanked the public over the election outcome and gave a call to intensify the movement.
Farmer leader from Samyukt Kisan Morcha Dr. Darshan Pal said, “The BJP has lost in the state assembly elections due to heavy anger of farmers and workers of the nation.”
“The new laws will not ensure MSP for the farmers. So they have shown their anger in the elections. At the same time, the labourers have also taught the BJP a lesson by casting their votes against them. Workers have voted against the BJP government’s intentions of shutting down the PDS scheme,” he said.
Another leader from Punjab, Gurnam Singh Charuni, said, “The BJP only understands the language of elections and hence the farmers campaigned against the BJP in the state assembly elections. It is a result of the people’s respect for the farmers and belief in Samyukta Kisan Morcha.”
He warned the government that if it sticks to its own interests, it will have to face strong opposition and that the farmers, labourers and the struggling people of the country are now united in this fight.
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After the election results came out, farm unions leaders thanked the people who made the “No Vote to BJP” campaign of Samyukt Kisan Morcha successful.
Charuni said, “This (farmers’ protest) movement will intensify while keeping in mind precautions required for the coronavirus pandemic. We appeal to the farmers and common citizens of the country to maintain full cooperation with the protesters.”
Farmer leaders reiterated that the social boycott of the leaders of the BJP and its allies will continue.
The farmers started this social boycott after farmer leader Rakesh Tikait of Bhartiya Kisan Union was attacked in Alwar, Rajasthan.
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Another farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said, “We request the state governments and the central government to stop harassing farmers and common citizens in the name of corona.”
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