23/12/2020
India observes National Farmers Day or Kisan Divas on December 23 every year to mark the birth anniversary of fifth Prime Minister Choudhary Charan Singh. Choudhary Charan Singh, regarded as a farmer's leader, introduced many policies to improve their lives.
In 2001, government had decided to mark Charan Singh's birth anniversary as Kisan Diwas.
Charan Singh entered politics as part of the Independence movement motivated by Mahatma Gandhi. He was elected to Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces in 1937. He took a keen interest in the laws that were detrimental to the village economy. He is credited for playing an important role in bringing the issues of small and marginal farmers to the forefront.
Charan Singh became notable in Uttar Pradesh from 1950's after he drafted and ensured the passage of revolutionary land reform laws. It was in 1959 when he first opposed Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's "socialistic and collectivist land policies".
He defected from the Congress in 1967 and sided with the opposition. He also became the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1967 and later in 1970.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has denied permission to Rashtriya Lok Dal to pay tributes to Charan Singh on his 118th birth anniversary at central Delhi's Kisan Ghat area. Police cited the ongoing COVID-19 situation as the reason behind denying permission.