Yogi promises to withdraw cases against farmers

CM assures higher cane prices as BJP attempts damage control in western U.P.

In a bid to woo agrarian communities at a time when farmers in west Uttar Pradesh have been protesting for months against the three new farm laws, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has promised to withdraw cases lodged against them for stubble burning while also considering an increase in the procurement price for sugarcane. Mr. Adityanath’s efforts to reach out to farmers especially those in western U.P. comes days before the scheduled panchayat called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a body of farmer unions leading protests around the national capital for the last eight months, in Muzaffarnagar on September 5. The Chief Minister said his government would not only take steps to withdraw cases and fines imposed on farmers for stubble burning but also ensure that electricity connections of farmers are not cut. Fines imposed on farmers for stubble burning have been a major cause of anger among the community.