A day after the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that “the mere gathering of a crowd does not lead to the repeal of laws”, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait responded by saying that “when the people gather , governments change. “
The leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), who is largely credited with reviving the turmoil at Delhi’s borders against agricultural laws after Republic Day violence during a tractor rally, also He warned that the government could have a difficult time staying in power if the new agricultural marketing laws are not repealed.
“Mantri kahte hain ki bheed jutane se kanoon nahi badale jaate. Inki buddhi bhrast ho gayee. Bheed jutne se sarkaren badalti hain. (The minister says the laws are not repealed by gathering crowds. They have lost their minds. When people gather in crowds, they can change government), ”said Tikait.
Addressing a Kisan Mahapanchayat in the Kharkhoda city of Haryana’s Sonipat district, Tikait said the agitation by farmers will continue until the Center accepts their demands to repeal the laws. “They (the government) should know if farmers can destroy their own produce, then you are nothing to them,” Tikait said.
New Delhi: Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson for the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), teaches schoolchildren at a farmers’ protest site on the Ghazipur border in New Delhi (PTI)
On Sunday, the Union’s agriculture minister, Tomar, had said in Gwalior that the Center was ready to talk to farmers, but that the unions should say what is anti-farmer in the new laws. “You flatly say that the laws are repealed … It doesn’t happen that the crowd gathers and the laws are repealed,” Tomar had said. The union minister had also said that the government is willing to make amendments to the laws and that “if the agitators’ unions are sympathetic to the farmers, then they should make it clear which provisions” are problematic.
Tikait said: “There are a lot of questions … it’s not just the farm laws, but also the electricity bill (amendment), the seed bill … what kind of laws do you want to bring in? His ministers say that farmers have no knowledge of the laws. For a farmer, the laws are fine if his crops are bought at fair prices. If you buy their crops at half price, what will you say about the laws? ”.
Farmers during a Kisan Mahapanchayat at a grain market near Ludhiana. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Stating that the turmoil was not only from the farmers, but also from the poor, the daily stakes and other sections, the BKU leader said that the agricultural laws will destroy the poor. “This is not just one law, many more laws like these will be introduced. If the brakes are not applied now, they (the government) will be uncontrollable. “
Stating that farmers do not receive a minimum support price (MSP) for all their crops, the BKU leader said, “23 crops, including bajra, are not bought at MSP prices. Our agitation is for a law that does not allow the purchase of crops below the MSP ”.
Referring to the opposition to the BJP ministers every time they go to the villages to convince the farmers about the farm laws, Tikait said: “They (BJP) send their parliamentarians to hold talks (with the farmers) in the villages. From day one, they started to get (adverse) results. Nobody offers them seats, ”he said.
Hisar: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait during the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Hisar. (PTI)
He also criticized the government for bringing cases against farmers, journalists and those associated with the unrest. “They prosecute cases under Section 307 (attempted murder) as if they were distributing prasad. They will be taught a lesson. “
After placing his trust in the leadership of a 40-member committee of farmer leaders, Tikait called on the government to resume talks. The government has held 12 rounds of talks with protesting unions to date.
The BKU leader said that farmers took three lakh tractors to Delhi on the orders of Sayunkat Kisan Morcha. “Delhi (Center) should have no illusions that the tractors were rented … We aim to associate 40 lakhs of tractors with upheaval. The tractor will be the face of agitation for farmers around the world. Farmers are participating in the agitation everywhere … Up to 10,000 tractors participated in the agitation in Karnataka, but it could not be highlighted as the pen and cameras are under the surveillance of weapons.
Tikait said that seven kisan mahapanchayats have been planned in Rajasthan for this month alone.
Tikait asks farmers not to destroy their crops
Referring to reports that some farmers have destroyed their standing crop in protest against three laws, Tikait asked them not to resort to such action. “The time has not come to destroy the crops. From now on, farmers will participate in the agitation, do work in their fields and be attentive to the policies introduced by Delhi (Center). Four days ago, Tikait had said that farmers should be prepared to sacrifice a crop to continue the agitation.
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