‘Govt open to talks with farmers’
Urges farmers to cultivate crops and wait for the call to reach Delhi; lambasts central govt for not paying attention to their demands
NEW DELHI: Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday responded to Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait’s call for a second tractor march to Delhi. Tomar said that the government is ready to discuss the demands of the farmers and is committed to their welfare. “The government of India is committed to double farmers’ income and work towards agriculture’s welfare. Discussions have been held many times. If they have a point to raise even now, we are ready to discuss,” Tomar said.
The government and unions
representing farmers, who have been camping at Delhi’s border for about three months in protest against the three laws that they see will end state procurement of crops at MSP, have held 11 rounds of talks, the last being on January 22. Talks broke after widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.
While addressing the Kisan mahapanchayat of United Kisan Morcha in Rajasthan’s Sikar, Tikait had said that if the Centre does not repeal the three new agriculture laws, protesting farmers will gherao Parliament. He also appealed to the farmers to be ready as the call for the march can be given at any time.
The national capital witnessed chaotic scenes on January 26 as groups of protesting farmers broke off from the planned Republic Day tractor parade routes, hoisting a farm union and Sikh religious flags on Red Fort.
AGRA: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait warned on Wednesday that farmers would soon enter Delhi on 40 lakh tractors. He urged farmers to cultivate their crops and wait for the call to reach the Boat Club in Delhi to farm on its lawns.
Rakesh Tikait, who is the spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), was in Kirawali town of Agra district on Wednesday to address a Kisan Panchayat. Lambasting the government for not paying attention to the demands of the agitating farmers, he said,
“The farmers should cultivate their standing crops 15 to 20 days ahead and then stay ready with diesel filled in tractors, as the call may come any time to reach Delhi. The target would be bigger this time and not 4 lakh but 40 lakh tractors would reach the national capital on a day to be fixed by the joint front of farmers.”
“Is bar Boat Club par kheti hogi’ (This time we will farm on Boat Club lawn in Delhi),” said Tikait while addressing the gathering in the Jat belt of Kirawali.
“This agitation is to save our land or farms and we are facing big companies who have no love for land, area or nation and switch according to profits. The central government will have to bear the cost of insulting the ‘pagri’ (head gear) of the farmer,” he said.
“Efforts were made to divide us on the basis of caste, religion and state but nothing could discourage farmers who are now one caste i.e. Kisan Biradari 2021 and of one religion, Kisan Dharma 2021,” said Tikait, suggesting that farmers should carry soil of their farms when they go to Delhi.
Rakesh Tkait also attempted to please cops stationed there and said they were sons of farmers but got very small quarters to live in and thus could not invite relatives. He asked the government to increase the size of cops’ quarters.
The farmer leader raised the issue of privatization too and asked where companies like BSNL had gone. “As many as 4.5 lakh railway employees are likely to lose their jobs in future. The price rise for diesel will make it costly for poor in villages and would give rise to inflation,” he said.
Connecting with locals, Tikait said this was the land of Veer Gokula, Maharaja Surajmal and Chaudhary Charan Singh. “The residents of this belt have been fighters and should gear up for the bigger struggle ahead,” he said. The panchayat was held in an area home to Raj Kumar Chahar, the national president of Kisan Morcha of the BJP. Caption ::: Rakesh Tikait addressing public meeting in Kirawali town of Agra district on Wednesday.