BAREILLY: Days after his public support to farmers' protest and letter to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi held a series of meetings - 18 in all - with farmers and their families in his constituency on Friday.
The BJP lawmaker said, “I spent an amazing day with 18 meetings. We discussed local issues only. I have also written a letter to UP CM about the issues faced by the paddy processing mills and given suggestions to revive their condition in the state.”
Varun’s popularity among farmers in the region has been on the rise ever since he wrote in a tweet that they are “our own flesh and blood” and had sent a letter to CM Yogi outlining several measures that could help farmers improve their revenues and resolve their issues. Some of the suggestions were increasing sugarcane prices, doubling the amount of the PM Kisan scheme and bonus on wheat and paddy.
Many farmers from Pilibhit district are protesting against the "black" laws at the Delhi-Ghazipur border. Balhar Singh, a farmer from Puranpur tehsil, told TOI, “I like Varun Gandhi as a person, but we have observed that his suggestions were ignored by his own party. The rice mills in the district are on a strike. Paddy harvest is approaching and the best he can do at present is to ensure that farmers do not face any difficulties in selling their crop.”
A day before Varun’s visit to Pilibhit, a few farm leaders had threatened to show black flags to his convoy. They were placed under "house arrest" by district administration and local police.
