NEW DELHI: Farm leaders continued their agitation Sunday against the three new farm laws claiming their movement has been the victim of a conspiracy. Agricultural leaders Rakesh Tikait and his brother Naresh Tikait now lead the front from the Ghazipur border, which appears to have become the epicenter of the post-Republic Day protests.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast referred to the Red Fort incident and said the country was deeply pained to see the tricolor disgraced on Republic Day.
It will honor the dignity of the prime minister, but it will also protect farmers’ self-respect: Naresh Tikait
Peasant leader Naresh Tikait said Sunday that protesting farmers will honor the prime minister’s dignity, but are also committed to protecting their own self-respect. He said the government should “free our men and prepare an environment conducive to talks.”
“A respectable solution must be reached. We will never accept anything under pressure, ”he said at the Ghazipur border between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
“We will honor and respect the dignity of the Prime Minister. Farmers don’t want the government or parliament to bow down to them, “Naresh said.
Naresh said: “The violence on January 26 was part of a conspiracy. The tricolor is above all. We will never let anyone disrespect you. It will not be tolerated, ”he said.
Naresh Tikait is the older brother of Rakesh Tikait, the farmer leader who is the national spokesperson for the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU).
The country was very hurt to dishonor the tricolor: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the country was deeply hurt to see the tricolor disgraced on Republic Day, referring to the incident of the religious flag at the Red Fort during the farm tractor parade.
In his monthly Mann ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi also said that the government is committed to modernizing agriculture and is taking many steps in this regard.
“In Delhi, on January 26, the country was very hurt to see the dishonor of the tricolor,” he said.
Thousands of protesting farmers had violated the monument on January 26 after deviating from their tractor concentration route, sparking a conflict with the police. A section of protesting farmers raised flags from some domes of the iconic monument in the national capital.
The protest continues amid strict security measures and internet suspension
The biggest security deployment has continued on the Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana border) when the farmers’ protest against three agricultural laws entered on the 67th on Sunday. The next round of talks between farmers and the Center is scheduled for February 2.
While the farmers’ protest on the Ghazipur border (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border) has entered on Day 65. Security has been tightened as more farmers are arriving at the protest site during the last two or three days.
To ‘maintain public safety and avoid a public emergency’, the Union Ministry of the Interior has temporarily suspended Internet services at the three borders and their adjacent areas from 11 pm on January 29 to 11 pm on 31 January. January.
The Haryana government has also extended the suspension of Internet services in 17 districts until 5 pm on January 31. The Delhi Police have also closed the NH-24 route.
Government offer still stands: PM Modi
During the entire party meeting on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that the government proposal given to the farmers on January 22 still stands and must be communicated to all by the leaders of the political parties.
Prime Minister Modi has also said that Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar was only a phone call away for the protesters.
On January 22, during the 11th round of talks with protesting farmers, the government proposed suspending the new laws for a year and a half and also proposed the creation of a joint committee to discuss the laws.
Tension between the government and farmers protesting agricultural laws has escalated after violence that broke out in various parts of the national capital during the farm tractor demonstration on Republic Day.
R-day violence; Rakesh Tikait’s emotional appeal; more farmers come to Ghazipur
The two-month movement against the Center’s three agricultural laws has so far been dominated by protesters from the Punjab and Haryana countryside who set up camp at the Singhu and Tikri border points.
Now, attention has shifted to Ghazipur, on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, where farmers are gathering by the thousands.
One day after the Republic Day violence in Delhi, when a section of farmers participating in the tractor parade broke barriers, confronted the police and stormed the Red Fort for a few hours, the farmers’ game seemed to be over. .
As the security presence at the scene intensified and fears grew that the protesters would be forcibly evicted, an emotional Rakesh broke down while speaking to reporters.
The protest will not be canceled. Farmers faced injustice, Rakesh said, and even threatened to end his life for the cause. His call to continue the protest against the government struck a chord.
This prompted his brother Naresh to call a maha panchayat in his hometown of Muzaffarnagar on Friday, where tens of thousands of farmers gathered to support the movement.
The crowd at the Ghazipur border, which had dwindled to 500 by Thursday night, multiplied over the next 12 hours, reaching more than 5,000 in the next 24 hours. The farmers’ movement was not only revived, it was further revitalized.
Who are Rakesh Tikait?
Born on June 4, 1969, in the Sisauli village of Muzaffarnagar district in western Uttar Pradesh, Rakesh Tikait joined the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) after leaving the Delhi Police and gained prominence as an agricultural leader after the death of his father from cancer in May 2011..
Rakesh Tikait, a BA graduate from the University of Meerut, was appointed national spokesperson for the BKU. He has two younger siblings: Surendra, who works as a manager at a sugar mill, and Narendra, who works in agriculture.
The father of two daughters and one son, he has been at odds with various governments on a variety of farmer issues, including loan waivers, minimum support price (MSP), energy fee, and land acquisition in states like UP, Haryana, Rajasthan. and Madhya Pradesh.
He also tried his luck in the elections, but lost both times.
In 2007, he contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls of the Khatauli constituency in Muzaffarnagar as an independent candidate. In 2014, he fought in the Amroha district Lok Sabha elections with a ticket from Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).
It is a wealthy family.
Prior to the 2014 elections, Rakesh had declared assets worth Rs 4.25 crore, including Rs 10 lakh in cash, and liabilities of Rs 10.95 lakh with land worth more than Rs 3 crore forming the bulk of his assets.
He also declared three criminal cases against him in the electoral affidavit. These cases occurred in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh and Anuppur in Madhya Pradesh.
The vocal peasant leader had to spend nights behind bars for defying the orders of public servants during several of the protests he has led in the last decade.
(With inputs from agencies)
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