PM's Farmer Outreach, Focus On West UP As He Inaugurates Noida Airport

Punjab and UP will both hold Assembly elections next year, with the BJP looking to retain power in the latter and defeat the Congress in the former

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Noida International Airport today, in his first public appearance in western UP since he said the three farm laws - which triggered furious protests nationwide, particularly in this part of the poll-bound state - will be scrapped.

"Farmers in the region will be able to export their vegetables, fruits and produce directly to the world," the Prime Minister told a crowd of thousands from a platform surrounded, for the most part, by acres of villages, small towns and farms.

"There are many industrial areas like Aligarh, Mathura, Meerut, Agra, Bijnor, Moradabad and Bareilly... western Uttar Pradesh has a significant share in the agriculture sector as well. Now the power of these areas will also increase a lot," he said.

Farmers across the country have protested for nearly 15 months against laws they say will leave them at the mercy of corporate firms, and rob them of a price guarantee scheme. Many are from western UP, and the opposition has questioned the timing of the centre's decision.