SKM announces 'Mission UP, Uttarakhand', threatens to hold protests in Lucknow akin to Delhi stir
Lucknow, Jul 26: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, spearheading the farmers' campaign against the Centre's three agriculture laws, on Monday announced its "Mission UP and Uttarakhand", saying it will turn Lucknow into Delhi and hold a 'maha rally' in Muzaffarnagar.
"The farmers' agitation will not end till the Government of India withdraws these three black laws. We want to tell the government here (UP) as well to work properly otherwise our agitation is intensifying and Lucknow will also be turned into Delhi and all roads leading to the state capital from all sides will be sealed," Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait told reporters here. But, he did not elaborate on when the planned agitation will begin in Lucknow.
This mission will start with a 'maha rally' of farmers from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh on September 5 and mahapanchayats will be held at all the divisional headquarters in the state with an aim to take the eight-month-old agitation to the village level, Tikait said.
He said, "The historic farmers' agitation for the repeal of three anti-farmer laws and demanding legal guarantee of the minimum support price has completed eight months. In these months, the movement, which became a symbol of self-respect and unity of the farmers, is now a movement to save democracy and save the country."
In a statement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said it has decided to start the next phase of the movement as Mission Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to make it more intensive and effective.
The objective of this mission would be that like Punjab and Haryana, every village in UP and Uttarakhand will be involved in the movement, it said.
The SKM leaders, who addressed a joint press conference, demanded making all toll plazas free in UP and Uttarakhand, organising protests at commercial establishments of capitalists and boycotting the programs of the BJP and its allies.
Tikait said, "Now, Lucknow will be turned into Delhi. Like in Delhi, where all roads are sealed by farmers from all sides, in Lucknow too farmers will surround the city from all sides. We will devise our strategy for this and make preparations for it."
He said a series of meetings, visits and rallies would be started all over UP to make this mission work.
The SKM Has divided the movement into four phases.
In the first phase, contact and coordination will be established with the organisations active in the movement in the states and in the second phase there will be division-wise farmers' convention and district-wise preparatory meeting.
In the third phase, a "historic" mahapanchayat of farmers from across the country would be organised in Muzaffarnagar on September 5 and in the fourth phase, a mahapanchayat would be organised at all the divisional headquarters.
The SKM has also decided that along with national issues, local issues of farmers will also be taken up in this mission.
The farmer leaders addressing the press conference said the aim of the mission would also be to challenge the corporate power and "anti-farmer" BJP and its allies at every step, adding that it is the responsibility of the state and its people to save farming and farmers from the corporate houses and their political middlemen.
Other leaders including Yogendra Yadav of the Jai Kisan Andolan, Shiv Kumar Kakkaji of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh, Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Ashish Mittal were also present during the press conference.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
