BHIWANI/NUH: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait held a mahapanchayat in Haryana’s Bhiwani on Sunday and called for support in intensifying the agitation against the three laws in other states too.
In Nuh, his son Gaurav Tikait addressed another mahapanchayat of 10,000 villagers and asserted that the agitation would continue until the three laws were repealed.
“The farm protest has started to expand to other parts of the country too. So, we decided to go to another state and hold a meeting with farmers and their leaders,” Tikait said in Bhiwani.
The BKU leader also called for unity among farmers of different states, alleging that the government was trying to divide the protesters on the basis of region and religion. “Two government representatives had come to meet me on Saturday, but I refused them. Any discussion with the government will take place in the presence of 40 members of the kisan morcha,” he added.
Tikait’s call for expanding the protest came a day after he said farmers would wait till October 2 for the Centre to withdraw the laws and then take out a “kranti” rally with 40 lakh tractors. The move to address farmers in neighbouring Haryana is crucial for Tikait, who had so far been leading the agitation only at UP Gate. He is known to wield considerable influence among farmers in western UP and it was his emotional call in the aftermath of the Republic Day violence that had infused a fresh lease of life into the agitation at the Ghazipur border.
The mahapanchayat in Bhiwani was attended by around 20,000 people. Apart from Tikait, farmer leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal and Darshan Pal Singh took part in the event. This was Tikait’s second mahapanchayat in Haryana since the agitation began in November last year – the first one being in Jind’s Kandela on February 3.
While addressing the farmers, Tikait also appreciated the role of “khap” leaders in the agitation. “There is not a single weak link in the entire movement. There will be no ghar wapsi until our demands are met,” the BKU leader told the gathering.
Since most of the farmers protesting around Delhi’s borders are from Punjab, he said that it is the 40-member delegation of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha that will continue to hold negotiations with the Centre. “We will support the Punjab leadership and it will head the delegation. We will not change any of our 40 members,” the farmer leader said.
Tikait also called on the young protesters to bring soil and water from their houses. “I urge you to visit the fields and apply the soil on your bodies. If you do this, none of you will sell your land to anyone even in extreme situations. We have to save our land. You give me your anger and we will win this battle,” he added.
In Nuh, Tikait’s son Gaurav attacked the Union agriculture minister on the three laws. “The minister has been asking us about issues with the laws. I want to ask him that if there was nothing wrong with the laws, why did the government agree to more than 10 of the 15 points raised by farmers’ unions at the meetings?” he asked.
The mahapanchayat in Sunhera village of Nuh was attended by around 10,000 people. Apart from Gaurav, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, BKU leader Gurnam Singh Charuni and three Congress MLAs from the district – Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Iliyas and Mamman Khan – also participated in the event.
Gaurav clarified that the farmers would not vacate any of the protesting sites across NCR unless the laws were taken back. He also sought an impartial investigation into the Republic Day violence in Delhi. “They are accusing us of insulting the Tricolour. But I must tell them that we can die and kill to save the national flag and its dignity,” he added.
Bhim Army’s Azad said the farmers’ movement could not be derailed on the grounds of religion. “A farmer has only one religion and that is farming. The crowd present here today is proof of the unity among different religions,” he added.