Yadav starts 'tractor march' to Delhi, targets NDA

THIKRIWAL (Barnala): Former Aam Aadmi Party leader and self-proclaimed champion of farmers' rights Yogendra Yadav on Saturday launched a "kisaan andolan" (farmers' movement) by leading a 10-day "tractor march" from Thikriwal village of Barnala to Delhi.
Yadav, founder of Swaraj Abhiyan, announced that they would be marching towards Parliament on August 10.He also demanded a farmers' memorial at the site of the race course near the Prime Minister's residence in Delhi.
Lashing out at the NDA government's land acquisition policy, Yadav claimed that only 25% land acquired by the Centre in the past 68 years had been utilized for the purpose for which it was purchased and remaining 75% was lying unused. "Before acquiring more land, the Centre should put in place a whitepaper on utilizing the land that has already been acquired by it," he said.
He said the 'kisaan andolan' would not allow any further displacement of farmers, and demanded the setting up of a farmers' commission, on the lines of Pay Commission for government employees. He also demanded the government to pay a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 to all farmers.
Swaraj Abhiyan members Sunilam, a former MLA from Madhya Pradesh, Mohammad Ansari from Assam, Sanjay Bhatt from Uttarakhand, Abheek Saha from West Bengal and Paramjit Singh from Haryana, accompanied Yadav to Thikriwal.