New Delhi: The protesting farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the farmers observe hunger strike from 8 am to 5 pm on Monday, is part of the farmers plan to intensify their agitation from Monday onwards.

Speaking in a press conference at the Singhu border, Chaduni said the leaders will observe the hunger strike at their respective places. “Also, dharnas will be staged at all district headquarters across the country and the farmers will submit a memorandum of demands addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The protests will go on as usual,” he said.

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav in a statement said that, “The Samajwadi Party supports the demands of the farmers and its sympathy is with them. The ‘Kisan Yatra’ was started by the SP on December 7. On December 14, the party workers will hold dharna at all the district headquarters in the state”. Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, “India is a ‘Krishi Pradhan’ (agriculture-dominated) country and the arrogant BJP should remember that the word ‘Krishi’ comes before ‘Pradhan’.”