Lakhimpur Kheri: Sugarcane farmers in Vijoriya village, which comes under Lakhimpur Kheri constituency, Uttar Pradesh, threaten to boycott the Lok Sabha polls if sugar mills fail to clear pending cane arrears. If cane growers abstain from voting, it will be a huge setback for the candidates from this constituency.
Farmers have put up posters and banner all over villages to make others aware of their decision.
Non-payment of dues to sugarcane farmers dominated the electoral discourse in this Lok Sabha constituency.
Anjali Dixit, sugarcane farmer, said, “During the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, BJP had promised us that the payment would be cleared within 14 days. What happened to that promise? We are yet to receive the payment for November. Because of the troubles, sugarcane farmers are facing, we have decided not to cast our vote unless mills don’t clear our pending dues.”
The mounting cane arrears in Uttar Pradesh have reached over Rs 10,000 crore.
