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Farmers’ issues: UNPA keen on Left support

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the launch of a series of protest meetings across the country on the government’s “apathetic” attitude towards the plight of farmers, the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) on Monday met the Left party leaders in the hope of enlisting their support.

Though the UNPA leaders said their meetings with Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat and his CPI counterpart A.B. Bardhan were “routine courtesy calls,” alliance convener N. Chandrababu Naidu did admit that they were looking for the Left parties’ support in the effort to mobilise opinion against the government on issues relating to the agriculture sector.

Briefing mediapersons, the UNPA convener said large meetings were being planned in Aurangabad, Mumbai, Jharkhand and Haryana before the next session of Parliament. Thereafter, the UNPA will hold a “massive dharna” in here during the pre-recess budget session of Parliament.

The UNPA also criticised the government for imposing the President’s rule in Nagaland and said it was done with an eye on rigging the upcoming elections. “All Raj Bhavans are being turned into Gandhi Bhavans,” Mr. Naidu said.

UNPA chairman Mulayam Singh and alliance spokesman Amar Singh focussed on Uttar Pradesh and how Chief Minister Mayawati was using the bogey of development to force farmers to hand over fertile land to contractors she favoured. The Samajwadi Party would oppose the Noida-Ballia Ganga Expressway Project tooth and nail since farmers were being pushed out.

Prior to addressing the press conference, the UNPA leaders met the Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices, T. Haque, and urged him to liberally fix the minimum support price for various crops in view of the precarious situation facing the farm sector.

Though the entire UNPA leadership was present at the press conference, they fielded no political questions. As mediapersons sought to ask the former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader, Farooq Abdullah, whether he had joined the UNPA, and draw a comment from the alliance on reports of some of its partners allegedly hobnobbing with the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Amar Singh quickly declared the press conference closed.

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