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Tag: Rakesh Tikait

  • Farm laws: RLD chief Ajit Singh speaks to Tikait brothers, announces support to BKU

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh has announced support to the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), the members of which are staging a protest against the Centre’s new farm laws at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border.

    The former Union minister has spoken to BKU president Naresh Tikait and spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, RLD vice president and his son Jayant Chaudhary said.

    “It is a matter of life and death for farmers, but do not worry. All have to stay together, united in this — this is Chaudhary saahab’s  (Ajit Singh’s) message,” the RLD vice president said in a tweet in Hindi.

    The Tikait brothers, sons of legendary farm leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, are leading the BKU, the members of which are camping at the UP Gate (Ghazipur border) for two months now demanding a rollback of the contentious farm laws brought by the Centre in September last year.

    The RLD, which was virtually wiped out in the last Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, was founded by Singh, son of Chaudhary Charan Singh, a former prime minister and a farmer leader from western Uttar Pradesh.

  • About 25,000 tractors from UP, Uttarakhand to participate in ‘Kisan Parade’: Rakesh Tikait

    By PTI
    GHAZIABAD: Around 25,000 tractors from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand will participate in the ‘Kisan Parade’ in the national capital on January 26, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said on Saturday.

    Farmers moving towards UP Gate from the two states on their tractor trolleys were intercepted by police in different districts but farmers will arrive here at every cost, he said.

    “Around 25,000 tractors would arrive here and a tractor rally would be brought out on Republic Day. Apart from the districts of western Uttar Pradesh, farmers would take out rallies in every district,” Tikait said in a statement.

    “No political person will be allowed to participate,” the BKU national spokesperson said.

    District administrations are sending notices to farmers and mounting pressure on them not to participate in the rallies citing COVID-19 norms and section 144 of the CrPC, he claimed.

    Routes of the rally will be decided by the police of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana and details will be released by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha after a final decision, Tikait said.

    Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar, after attending a meeting between unions protesting the new agri laws and senior police officers on Saturday, claimed that the Delhi Police has given permission to the farmers’ tractor parade on January 26.

    The tractor parade will start from the Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri border points of Delhi, but the final details of routes are yet to be finalised, said Kohar, who is a senior member of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of the agitating unions.

    However, Delhi Police Additional Public Relation Officer Anil Mittal said, “We are in the final stages of talks with farmers.”

  • Government-farmers talks hit roadblock; Unions threaten to intensify agitation

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The government’s negotiations with protesting farm unions hit a roadblock on Friday as the farmer leaders stuck to their demands for a complete repeal of three farm laws they find pro-corporate and a legal guarantee for MSP, even as the Centre asked them to reconsider its proposal for putting the Acts on hold for 12-18 months.

    Unlike the last 10 rounds of talks, the 11th round could not even reach a decision on the next date for the meeting as the government also hardened its position saying it is ready to meet again once the unions agree to discuss the suspension proposal.

    This followed a big climbdown made by the Centre during the last round when they offered to suspend the laws and form a joint committee to find solutions. Farmer leaders said they will intensify their agitation now and alleged that the government’s approach was not right during the meeting.

    While the meeting lasted for almost five hours, the two sides sat face to face for less than 30 minutes. In the very beginning, the farmer leaders informed the government that they have decided to reject the proposal made by the government in the last round of talks on Wednesday.

    The three central ministers, including Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, urged the union representatives to reconsider their stand, after which the two sides went for a lunch break. The break, during which the farmer leaders had their langar (community kitchen) food, lasted for more than three hours.

    The break also saw the 41 farmer leaders holding consultations among themselves, at times in smaller groups, while the three central ministers waited in a separate room at Vigyan Bhawan. After the meeting, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the discussions have broken down as the unions rejected the government’s proposal.

    The ministers told the unions that they have been given all possible options and they must discuss internally the proposal of suspending the laws. Sources said that Tomar told the farmer leaders that the government would be ready for another meeting if farmers want to discuss the proposal.

    The minister also thanked unions for their cooperation and said while there were no problems with the laws, the government offered to suspend them as respect for the protesting farmers. Coming out of the meeting venue, farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka said there was no headway in the discussions and the government asked unions to deliberate on its proposal again.

    Kakka was the first to leave the meeting, but said it was for “some personal reasons”. In the last round of meetings held on Wednesday, the government had offered to put on hold the three laws and set up a joint committee to find solutions.

    However, after internal consultations on Thursday, the farmer unions decided to reject the offer and stick to their two major demands — the repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP).

    “We told the government that we will not agree to anything other than the repeal of the laws. But the minister asked us to discuss separately again and rethink the matter and convey the decision,” said farmer leader Darshan Pal.

    BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said: “We conveyed our position clearly to the government that we want a repeal of the laws and not a suspension. The ministers asked us to reconsider our decision.” Some leaders expressed apprehensions that the movement will lose its momentum once the farmers go away from Delhi borders.

    Harpal Singh, President of Bhartiya Kisan Union — Asli Arajnaitik (Real Apolitical), said, “Even if we accept the government’s offer, our fellow brothers sitting at Delhi borders will not accept anything other than a repeal of the laws. They will not spare us. What achievement will we show to them?”

    He also questioned the government’s credibility, alleging it was difficult to believe that they will keep their word on putting the laws on hold for 18 months. “We will die here but we will not return without getting the laws repealed,” Singh said.

    Along with Union Agriculture Minister Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash are also participating in the talks with representatives of 41 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan here.

    In a full general body meeting on Thursday, Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of the protesting unions, rejected the government’s proposal. “A full repeal of three central farm Acts and enacting a legislation for remunerative MSP for all farmers were reiterated as the pending demands of the movement,” the Morcha said in a statement.

    Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now against the three laws.

    Farmer groups have alleged these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, even as the government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced.

    On January 11, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself from the committee appointed by the apex court.

    Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) president Anil Ghanwat and agriculture economists Pramod Kumar Joshi and Ashok Gulati, the other three members on the panel, started the consultation process with stakeholders on Thursday.

  • Farmers not against any party but Centre’s policy: Bharatiya Kisan Union chief Rakesh Tikait

    By PTI
    NOIDA: The farmers’ fight is not with any political party but with the policy of the government, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Rakesh Tikait said here on Monday, warning the ongoing protest over the farm laws could prolong further.

    Tikait, who has participated in the multiple rounds of dialogues between farmers unions and the government representatives in Delhi over the past 54 days, was in Noida where he addressed protestors belonging to the BKU’s faction Lok Shakti.

    “Our fight is not with any party but the government. Here (in the protest) also we have people who support the BJP and will vote for them in the next election. But any party or ideology is not our concern. We are against the policy of the government,” he said, addressing hundreds, including women and youth, at the Dalit Prerna Sthal.

    He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should also reach out to the farmers, but only after the government has accepted their demands on the three new farm laws and legalisation of the minimum support price (MSP) on crops.

    “The prime minister should come amidst farmers and the government the day our demands are met and the issue is resolved. We will thank him and treat him with respect that day. We also don’t want him to come between us until then,” Tikait said.

    He also stressed that the discussions between representatives of farmers and the government should be televised for greater transparency and wider reach among people.

    Tikait, who is leading his BKU supporters at the Ghazipur border in Ghaziabad, had reached the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida around 2 pm along with his union’s Uttar Pradesh unit spokesperson Pawan Khatana and other leaders.

    They met BKU (Lok Shakti) chief Sheoraj Singh and his supporters, who are camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal since December 2, and participated in a human chain at the spot to symbolise the unity among various factions of protestors, BKU (Lok Shakti) spokesperson Shailesh Kumar Giri said.

    Exhorting the protestors to keep their spirits high, Tikait said, “They (the government) can accept our demands today, tomorrow or in six months or by 2024 because the farmers are not going back until then.”

    “There various banners and flags being raised at different protest sites. But banners and flags are not relevant anymore because this movement is driven by farmers belonging to villages,” he added.

    The influential peasants’ leader also called on the protestors to carry out the agitation responsibly and peacefully.

    “We must respect the land wherever we are whether our farms or a protest site. The protest should be peaceful and no property should be damaged,” he said.

    Thousands of protesting farmers are currently staying put at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh demanding rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

    However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.

  • Farmers prepared to protest till May 2024: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait

    By PTI
    NAGPUR: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said farmers are prepared to protest against the Centre’s new farm laws “till May 2024”, and termed the ongoing agitation by peasants at Delhi borders as an “ideological revolution”.

    Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, Tikait said they want a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

    Farmers have been protesting near Delhi since November 26, 2020, demanding scrapping of the three new farm laws, which have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

    However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the MSP and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

    The Supreme Court last Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three new farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a four-member committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers’ unions protesting at Delhi borders.

    ALSO READ| SC to hear pleas on farm laws after recusal of member from panel set up to resolve impasse

    Asked how long will farmers will sit in protest, Tikait said, “We are prepared to sit in protest till May 2024…our demand is that the three laws be taken back and the government provide a legal guarantee on the MSP.”

    The next Lok Sabha elections in the country will be due around April-May 2024. Dismissed allegations that the protest was being fuelled by “rich farmers”, Tikait said people from villages and various outfits have joined the protest.

    “This is an ideological revolution of farmers started from Delhi and will not fail. Farmers from villages do not want us come back until the three farm bills are taken back. The government is adamant on its stance of not withdrawing the bills and this agitation will continue for long,” Tikait added.

    He welcomed the SC’s decision on staying the implementation of the farm laws, but said the committee formed by the apex court has members who “supported” the farm bills. “We do not want to go before the committee formed by the court. The government has also said that the government and farmers will find solution on this issue,” he said.

    ALSO READ| SC-appointed panel on farm laws to hold first meeting on January 19

    Tikait also said the opposition parties in the country were weak and that is why farmers had to start this agitation against the Centre’s new laws.

    On National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) notices to some people supporting the farmers’ protest, he said, “Those who want to be part of the agitation must be ready for court cases, imprisonment and sealing of property.”

  • Farmers to sit for ninth round of talks on Friday; unions say don’t have much expectations from Modi government

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: The Centre as well as the protesting farmer unions on Thursday said the ninth round of talks over the contentious farm laws will take place as scheduled.

    “We are hopeful of a positive discussion at the ninth round of talks with farmer unions on Friday,” Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, reiterating that the Centre was ready to talk to the farmers with an open mind.

    Doubts over the continuation of the dialogue emerged after farmer unions dismissed the Supreme Court-appointed four-member panel to end the stalemate. However, the unions have confirmed they will not pull out from the talks.

    “Let’s see what happens at the meeting. But our meetings with the government will continue till our protest ends,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said. 

    The farmer union leaders also appealed to all protesters to maintain peace and harmony during the tractor parade on Republic Day. BKU (Rajewal) leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said the details of the tractor parade in Delhi will be finalised next week after the talks with the government.

    In an open letter written in Punjabi to all farmers, Rajewal condemned rumours saying the farmers will march to Rajpath and hoist the national flag at Red Fort. Urging everyone not to fall for such rumours, he asked people to participate in large numbers. 

    The BKU leader also appealed to farmers to act as volunteers and keep an eye on anyone trying to defame the struggle saying “we can win only through peaceful means”. 

    Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) Joginder Singh Ugrahan told PTI, “We are going to hold talks with the government tomorrow. We don’t have much hope from the Friday meeting as the government will cite the SC-appointed panel. The government doesn’t have good intention to resolve our issues.”

    Singh said that the unions do not want any committee, adding “we just want a complete repeal of three farm laws and legal guarantee on minimum support price for our crops.”

    He said that farmers will not call off their protest until their demands are met.

    Another farmer leader, Abhimanyu Kohar, said that government knows that the court cannot repeal the laws and added that the Centre should stop playing with the sentiments of farmers who have been camping at several Delhi borders since November 28.

    He said that forming a committee is not a solution, adding that the new farm laws have been enacted by Parliament and the court cannot do much.

    Darshan Pal, president of Krantikari Kisan Union, said, “We will be entering Delhi on January 26 and for that we will be finalising our strategy soon. How many of us will enter from where and how is still to be decided. But our march will be totally peaceful.”

    Meanwhile, more than 800 women farmers and university students have written an open letter to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde expressing shock and dismay at the comments made in the Supreme Court “undermining” the participation of women farmers in the agitation. 

    “One of the important points of concern is the paternalism and patriarchy reflected in observations with regard to women farmers. We urge the respected institution of the Supreme Court to recognise and appreciate the agency of women in this matter,” Kavitha Krunganthi of All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee said.

    Amandeep, National Council Member, Youth for Swaraj, said women were the heart and soul of the agitation and undermining their role was disgraceful. 

    In an interview to PTI, Anil Ghanwat, a member of the SC-appointed committee, said that the panel will have no “ego or prestige issue” if it has to go to farmers’ protest sites to talk to them.

    On the government holding parallel talks with protesting farmers, scheduled for January 15, after the SC appointed the panel, Ghanwat said, “I think this will be their last meeting with the government. They will say henceforth you (farmers) have to sit with the committee, which will give a report to the Supreme Court.”

    Asked about protesting farmers’ unwillingness to take part in the committee proceedings, he said, “We will go before them. We are their brothers. We have worked together in the past. We will reach out to them, sit with them and discuss the issue. There is no problem.”

    The farmer unions have been maintaining that they were ready to attend the scheduled talks with the government, even as they have said they do not want to appear before the court-appointed panel and have also questioned its composition.

    Earlier in the day, Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann said he is recusing himself from the four-member committee.

    Farmer unions and opposition parties had called it a “pro-government” panel, insisting that its members have been in favour of the three laws in the past.

    Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points, demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price for their crops.

    Enacted in September last year, the three laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.

    However, the protesting farmers have expressed their apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the MSP and do away with the “mandi” (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

    Want talks to government to continue: Tikait

    Tikait on Thursday said the protesting farmer unions will attend the scheduled ninth round of talks with the government and asserted it is necessary to continue the dialogue to resolve the deadlock and end the agitation.

    While the previous eight rounds of negotiations have failed to end the protests continuing for several weeks on various borders of the national capital, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said earlier in the day that the government is hopeful of positive discussions at Friday’s scheduled meeting.

    Tikait also said the protesting unions will attend the meeting with union ministers on Friday.

    Asked if unions have any hope from the Friday meeting, Tikait told PTI: “Let’s see what happens tomorrow. But, our meetings will continue with the government till our protest ends as it is necessary.”

    “We will not oppose the meetings with the government,” the BKU leader said when asked whether the Friday talks could be the last one if there is no solution.

    Tomar had said, “The government is ready to hold talks with farmers’ leaders with an open mind.”

    Clearing the confusion over the fate of the ninth round of talks, which was the only outcome in the last meeting on January 8, in the wake of the Supreme Court on January 11 appointing a four-member panel to resolve the impasse and a key member of the proposed committee subsequently recusing himself, the union leader said the talks between the government and the union representatives will take place as scheduled for 12 pm on January 15.

    Don’t believe in rumours being spread to defame stir: BKU leader to farmers

    BKU leader Balbir Singh Rajewal on Thursday wrote an open letter to farmers, urging them not believe in rumours being spread to defame their agitation against the Centre’s farm laws.

    The BKU (Rajewal) president said rumours are being spread about the farmers’ proposed tractor parade on January 26.

    It is being spread as if farmers will head towards the Red Fort or Parliament on January 26, Rajewal wrote in Punjabi cautioning farmers not to believe in such rumours.

    He apprehended that some “anti-farmer forces” are desperately trying to “fail” their peaceful agitation.

    He stressed that the farmers’ ongoing protest will remain peaceful.

    Rajewal said the outline of the ‘Kisan parade’ will be announced next week.

    Farmers had proposed to take out a tractor parade on the Republic Day if their demands were not accepted by the Centre.

    Rajewal noted that an agitation will only be successful if it is completely peaceful.

    Rajewal said the ongoing agitation is not limited to farmers only and was receiving support of every section of society as they understand “adverse implications” of these laws.

    It has turned into a “jan andolan” and has spread to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states after having started from Punjab, claimed Rajewal in the letter.

    Giving details about farmers’ proposed programmes in coming days, he said Mahila Kisan Diwas will be observed on January 18 and Guru Gobind Singh’s Parkash Purb on January 20.

    Azad Hind Kisan Diwas will be observed on January 23 on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, he said.

    (With PTI Inputs)