Akhilesh Yadav extends support to protesting farmers

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday extended his party's support to the farmers protesting under the aegis of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) in support of various demands ranging from farm loan waiver to cut in fuel prices.

As thousands of farmers tried to enter the national capital in a massive protest march, the government Tuesday announced that a committee of chief ministers will look into their demands, even as the protesters stayed put saying they were not "satisfied" with the assurance.

Farmers marching towards Delhi under BKU's protest call were stopped at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, as they tried to run through the border, surmounting the barricades.

'The farmers have come out in support of their various demands... If we look at things, in the past over four years, almost 50,000 farmers have committed suicide, mostly in BJP-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh," Akhilesh Yadav said.

"The BJP government had decided that a package will be prepared for clearing ...