Lucknow, November 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has stepped up his outreach to the farming community, holding discussions with prominent farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on agricultural concerns and the political role of farmers in Uttar Pradesh.
The meeting took place on Wednesday evening. In a subsequent post on X, Yadav described farmers as among the most distressed sections of society and called for dignity, fair remuneration and greater recognition of their contribution.
Linking the discussion to the Samajwadi Party’s PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) social justice platform, Yadav sought to give the letter ‘A’ an additional meaning, describing it as standing for ‘Annadata’ — the farmers who feed the country.
The formulation signals an attempt by the SP to bring farmers more explicitly into its PDA narrative as the party prepares for future electoral contests.
Yadav said that prosperity should not remain merely a symbol of greenery in the fields but must reach every household, courtyard and village. He argued that this would be possible only when agriculture, farmers and rural communities receive respect and fair value for their labour.
“Those who are suffering are part of the PDA,” he said, adding that the growing participation of farmers would strengthen the platform in villages and at polling booths.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of continuing agricultural concerns in Uttar Pradesh. Farmer organisations associated with Tikait have raised demands relating to minimum support prices (MSP), pending sugarcane payments, crop losses and procurement arrangements.
Tikait has also been involved in protests and campaigns seeking better returns and policy support for cultivators.
Emphasising the link between farmers’ welfare and national prosperity, Yadav said, “When the fields smile, the nation will smile.”
He maintained that the prosperity of villages and the country depends on the well-being of farmers, adding that the struggle for their dignity, rights and fair remuneration is central to the PDA movement.
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