Mayawati offers olive branch to UP farmers

To convene ‘kisan panchayat’ on land acquisition today in Lucknow

Stung by vociferous farmers’ protest in the recent weeks over land acquisition and compensation issues, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has decided to convene a ‘kisan panchayat’ in the state capital tomorrow.

This is the first time that Mayawati has convened a farmers’ meet. It is an effort by the state to reach out to them in the face of protests in Noida/Greater Noida and Chandauli, besides sporadic agitations over land acquisition issues.

Last month, farmers’ agitation at Bhatta and Parsaul villages in Gautam Budh Nagar district (Greater Noida) had turned ugly and four persons, including two farmers and as many cops, had lost their lives in a bloody clash. Later, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi had sneaked into the troubled spot and sat on dharna with local farmers. He was arrested, but later set free. Leaders of other parties were prevented from entering the ‘ground zero’.

Since then, the government has been under intense media scrutiny and scathing attack from the opposition parties, including Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party.

Now, the government has invited farmers’ leaders in Lucknow to discuss issues concerning them, including irrigation, power, agriculture and related matters. However, land acquisition issue will occupy centre-stage in the deliberations.

Although, the state believes that its new land acquisition and rehabilitation policy announced last year is the most progressive in the country, it is now ready to amend it for providing greater benefits to the farmers.

The meet is aimed at arriving at some consensus for the new policy. Meanwhile, Kisan Morcha president Kesari Singh Gujjar told Business Standard that only a handful of land owners from Greater Noida were attending the meet. “UP agriculture minister Laxmi Narain had recently visited the place to cobble up representatives for the meet to placate the agitating farmers,” he claimed.

Recently, Allahabad High Court had scrapped acquisition of several hundred hectares of land acquired in Noida over separate farmers’ petitions. “The land was acquired by government on the pretext of using it for industrial development, however, it was handed over to the private builder for commercial purposes and most of it has already been sold on the basis of maps,” Gujjar added. He said, in addition to the benefits promised by the state, farmers wanted 80 per cent of the actual market value of their land, while retaining half the land for farming.