UP farmers rally round Reliance Retail

In an interesting turn to the controversy over the closure of the Reliance Fresh stores by the UP government, farmers of Lucknow and nearby districts have taken up the cudgels to fight for the cause of the retail industry in UP. Reliance sources its fruits and vegetables from these farmers.

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ambavat faction) today submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Mayawati and the district magistrate of Lucknow, demanding an immediate reopening of the Reliance stores in Lucknow and other places in UP.

The memorandum said the farmers of Lucknow and nearby were incurring huge losses due to the closure of the Reliance stores.

The BKU has also submitted a memorandum to the DM, Unnao, 65 km from Lucknow, demanding opening of the Reliance stores by August 31. Else, they would launch an agitation against the government.

The farmers protesting against the closure of the retail stores staged a demonstration in front of the Collection Centre opened by Reliance at Gosainganj, 15 km from Lucknow, on the day of Raksha bandhan.

The farmers, led by both the factions of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, have called a bigger meeting at Gosainganj on Lucknow-Sultanpur NH on Thursday to chalk out the strategy for intensifying their agitation against the closure of Reliance stores. Reliance was purchasing vegetables from the 40 villages under Gosainganj block.

"It s an all-party affair and we are united in our fight for the opening of the Reliance stores as never in history the vegetables grown by us fetched such a fabulous price as given to us by the reliance'', said Ravi Singh, a farmer.

On the other hand, after their success in preventing entry of Reliance in the retail sector in the state, the Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Pratinidih Mandal, a trader organisation affliated to the opposition Samajwadi Party, today announced holding a UP bandh on September 11 in protest against the implementation of VAT.