Lucknow, Feb 3 : The Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), a party led by former Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, has decided to join the ongoing farmers' agitation against the three Central farm laws.
SBSP President Rajbhar said that his party will hold 'chaupals' in 5,000 villages on February 5 in support of the protesting farmers.
"We will discuss the farm laws threadbare and their consequences on the future of farmers.
We will also announce our support to the farmers' protest in Delhi and discuss to take it forward," said Rajbhar.
Party sources said that there is a strong possibility of other members of Rajbhar's alliance, including the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, also becoming part of the initiative.
"The farmers' agitation has already turned into an anti-BJP platform and opposition parties have no qualms in joining in.
Farmers from Uttar Pradesh are also pitching in with their support," said a senior SBSP functionary.
Meanwhile, hookah panchayats - a traditional forum for discussing key issues (social, financial and political)- have begun in western and central Uttar Pradesh.
In these panchayats, elders discuss several issues while smoking hookahs.
The Mahapanchayats in Muzaffarnagar, Mathura and Baghpat are now being followed up by the hookah panchayats to strengthen the farmers' movement in Delhi.
Prakash Baliyan, a farmer from Badaut, said that the hookah panchayats are working out the modalities to implement the Mahapanchayats' decision to strengthen the ongoing farmers' movement.
"We have decided that people from different villages will move to the Ghazipur border on different days so that there is no overcrowding on a particular day.
We are drawing up a strategy which will ensure that there is sizeable presence at the protest site at all times.
We are prepared for the agitation to continue for quite some time. We will also be taking food and other essential items with us," he said.
--IANS
amita/arm.
Source: IANS
