Lucknow: Angry over what they termed rampant corruption and administrative apathy, hundreds of farmers under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union Shramik Jan Shakti clashed with police during a protest in Lucknow on Tuesday. Armed with sticks and waving union flags, the farmers marched from Parivartan Chowk towards the Gandhi statue in Hazratganj, but were stopped by police barricades.
Tensions quickly escalated as farmers stripped off their shirts and sat in protest outside KD Singh Babu Stadium, shouting slogans like “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” and “We will make our demands heard.” Accusing agriculture department officials of being corrupt middlemen, they alleged that the government runs schemes only on paper, while real conditions for farmers and livestock remain deplorable.
“They never leave their air-conditioned offices to see how farmers or cattle are suffering,” said a protestor. “If concrete walls at Delhi’s borders couldn’t stop us, these barricades surely won’t.”
BKU National President Kamlesh Yadav said it was shameful that food providers were being forced onto the streets. “We’re told our income has doubled, but that’s only on paper. In reality, nothing has changed.” He pointed out a recent incident where even the state agriculture minister was overcharged for fake fertilizer, questioning what ordinary farmers must be facing.
“Fake seeds, fake medicine, fake fertilizers this is what the BJP government has given us.” Yadav also criticized the failure of cow shelters and animal care facilities in the capital. “The CM may call the cow ‘mother’, but his officers are nothing but corrupt brokers. They never inspect the ground realities,” he said.
The protest marks growing unrest among farmers who feel betrayed by a government that promised support but continues to ignore their plight.
