By IANS,
Lucknow : Supporting farmers’ demand for higher compensation for their lands acquired for the Yamuna Expressway, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) held demonstrations across Uttar Pradesh against the state government.
A large number of SP and RLD workers hit the streets in various districts, particularly Aligarh, Mathura, Mainpuri and Shahjahanpur, and held public meetings to drum up support against the state government’s land acquisition policy.
Thousands of farmers also participated in a Maha Panchayat in the Tappal village of Aligarh district to decide their future course of action against the state government. Leaders of political parties were also invited.
“We are not going to buckle under any pressure from the state government. We would continue to fight for our demands that are primarily related to higher compensation for the farmers’ lands, release of our leader Ram Babu, and a financial relief of Rs.20 lakh for the families of those killed during clashes with the police,” Hari Singh, a farmer, told reporters Monday in Aligarh, some 300 km from Lucknow.
According to state government officials, three people — a policeman, a farmer and a child — died during farmer-police clash in Aligarh Saturday that also led to exchange of fire between police and protesters.
“We are with the farmers and would continue to fight for them. If the state government fails to comply with the demands of the farmers, we would intensify the agitation in the coming days,” SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary told reporters here.
In the wake of the violence in Aligarh and Mathura over the week-end, heavy security arrangements have been made there.
The farmers demonstrated Saturday night against inadequate compensation for acquired lands in an area bordering Aligarh and Mathura districts. The protesters were demanding compensation at the rate paid to farmers in Noida and Greater Noida.
“No fresh violence has been reported since the last 15 hours,” District police chief Satyendra Veer Singh told IANS by telephone from Aligarh.
The 165 km-long eight-lane expressway connecting Noida to Agra is aimed at reducing the driving time between New Delhi and Agra to just about 90 minutes. It is expected to make a lot of difference to foreign tourists headed for the city of the Taj Mahal.