Potato farmers of Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh appear to have made up their minds about voting for Prime Minister Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This what a BBC reporter found out while talking to farmers in Hathras.
The BBC reporter asked the potato farmers in the district which goes to poll on April 18 as to what did they think about who would win. To this, the farmers replied in unison that they would vote for Modi. “We have no complaints about Modiji,” they said in one voice. Rejecting the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the State, the farmers termed all the three parties in the gathbandhan as thieves. ‘Sab log chor chor mausere bhai hai rahe hain (they are all thieves)”, replied one of them.
However people appeared disappointed with the local BJP MLAs or the MPs. “Lekin ye jo sir machinery hai na Modiji ki, jo Saansad hain Vidhayak hain, vo dekh bhi nhi rahe hain ki yahan kya ho rha h, aate bhi nahi yahan kabhi (The local MLAs and the MPs do not even come to see what is happening here)”, came a voice.
Despite their dissatisfaction with the local BJP leaders, the farmers hinged their hopes on PM Modi. “Chahe hamare aloo fik jaye, chahe hum bhukhe marein par vote Modi ji ko hi denge (Even if our potatoes get dumped or we die of hunger but we will vote for Modi ji)”, asserted a farmer. “Hume Modi hi Pradhan Mantri chahiye(We want only Modi as our Prime Minister)” said Puran Singh, a potato farmer.
Criticising the Congress Party the farmers said that the Congress did nothing for 50 years and that five years are not enough to change the country.
