Farmers in Agra ask BJP MPs, MLAs to explain their stand on stir

Amid the ongoing protests against Centre’s three farm laws, a panchayat in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra has asked two MPs and nine MLAs of the district to either issue a letter of support to the agitating farmers or face "social boycott".

The farmers held a ‘kisan panchayat’ in Baroli Ahir block of the district and announced that they would start protest against the legislators from February 7 if they didn’t come out in support of the ongoing stir against the three agriculture laws brought by the Centre. The panchayat was attended by hundreds of farmers.

Addressing the gathering, several Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) functionaries also expressed apprehension over the legal notices being sent to farmers for “instigating” people against the three laws.

As per an IANS report on February 4, BKU national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has come up with a formula to keep the agitation on Delhi's borders going. In a bid to maximise the number of participating farmers, Tikait's formula suggests that 15 people from every village should camp at the protest spot for 10 days and then the next lot of 15 should replace them. By doing this, the first lot of protesters can go back to their village and tend to the fields.