After promising free electricity for irrigation, the Samajwadi Party on Monday said it would ensure minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, pay sugarcane farmers their dues within 15 days and provide interest-free loans, insurance and pension to farmers if it comes to power.
The promises, announced by party chief Akhilesh Yadav here, may find their way into its official manifesto for the 2022 Assembly election. He had earlier also promised 300 units of free electricity to domestic households.
He said his party was even willing to create a “revolving fund” to ensure cane farmers get their due.
“Even if we have to create a farmers’ revolving fund, we will do it so that the payment to the farmers does not stop.”
Along with farm leader Tajinder Virk, who was injured in the October 3 incident in Lakhimpur Kheri when a convoy of cars ran over protesting farmers, Mr. Yadav took a pledge, with grain in their hands, to defeat the BJP in the coming election.
“We take this anna sankalp [pledge on grains] that we will defeat and remove the BJP which has carried out atrocities and injustice against farmers,” said Mr. Virk, extending his support to Mr. Yadav and appealing to all farmers to defeat the BJP.
Mr. Yadav also said the SP would withdraw all cases lodged against farmers and provide an aid of ₹25 lakh to the family of each farmer who died in the protest against the now repealed farm bills.
The SP’s promises to farmers ahead of the election in which the western parts of the State, where farmers had staged protests and continue to tackle issues in getting cane payments on time, will vote first.
