The area had witnessed bloody clashes on Saturday between farmers and state police, which claimed at least four lives with scores wounded on both sides. The gravity of the situation could be gauged from the fact that district magistrate Deepak Aggarwal had also sustained a bullet wound.
The day also passed off peacefully in other areas of farmers’ unrest but hectic political activities were on. A section of farmers also held demonstration in Karchana area near Allahabad. The famers have been protesting their land acquisition in lower rates for last several months.
After assurance from the State government an agreement was signed for higher compensation. But the farmers alleged that the promise has not been fulfilled .The Karchana site chosen for a power plant will be developed by a private group. The BJP leader and former Chief Minister Rajnath Singh who arrested briefly said the Mayawati-led Uttar Pradesh government is anti-farmer. He told reporters in Greater Noida that the state government should not forcefully acquire farmers’ land. Leader of opposition in state assembly and Samajwadi part leader Shivpal Singh Yadav said that Mayawati is behaving undemocratically. Criticising the land acquisitions policy he said both centre and state are working against the interest of farmers.
In new Delhi Congress stepped up attack on the Mayawati government comparing the situation with that of Singur and Nandigram in West Bengal. Party spokesperson Manish Tewari at the same time dismissed suggestions that the situation would not have arisen in the BSP-ruled state had the Centre got the amended Land Acquisition Act passed by Parliament and the Relief and Rehabilitation Policy approved.
While urging the UPA government to ensure that these two crucial bills are passed, he rejected the contention that it could not be done so far due to opposition from Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee. “Congress strongly condemns the way farmers are being persecuted in Western Uttar Pradesh and Noida. Whatever be the reason and motive, the way the Chief Minister has tried to start a new tradition of development by use of sticks and guns will have far reaching impact” he said.
In Agra, the Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA Anil Chaudhry and his supporters were detained by administration when they were trying to go Chaugan village to meet the affected farmers of ongoing Yamuna express way project. On Sunday the villagers from this area burnt some vechiles and camp office of a construction company developing expressway project.
