BKU to felicitate Meghalaya governor for backing farmers’ stir

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has decided to felicitate Meghalaya governor Satya Pal Singh Malik for his support to the farmers’ ongoing movement in UP.

The BKU will confer the title of ‘ Kisan Ratna’ on him after the Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar on September 5.

Speaking to HT on phone, BKU chief and head of Baliyan Khap Naresh Tikait said that governor Malik was also the son of a farmer and always raised his voice in support of farmers during their ongoing movement against the three contentious farm laws.

Tikait said that it had been decided to organise a programme after the Muzaffarnagar

Mahapanchayat to felicitate the Meghalaya governor. “We will confer the title of ‘Kisan Ratna’ on him,” said Tikait and added that the venue and date of the felicitation would be decided after the Mahapanchayat.

Former MP and Congress leader Harendra Malik also appreciated governor Malik for supporting farmers in spite of the fact that it could annoy his party’s top leadership. He said that a grand function would be organised to felicitate him in his own land.

Satya Pal Malik originally belongs to Hisawda village of Baghpat district. He joined national politics after emerging from students’ politics of Meerut college in the 1970s.

Malik served as governors of Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Odisha and Goa before appointed governor of Meghalaya.

He first backed farmers in March this year by saying that none of the three farm laws were in favour of agriculturists. He also urged the Prime Minister and home minister to not use force against the protesting farmers.

Malik again turned vocal against the Haryana government after the recent lathi-charge on farmers in Karnal in which many farmers sustained injuries.

Malik anticipated loss of support to the saffron party in Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh because of the farmers’ ongoing protest and also asked Haryana chief minister M L Khattar to apologise for the brutal lathi-charge on farmers in Karnal.

Calling himself ‘ son of a farmer’, Malik also suggested that the SDM of Karnal Ayush Sinha should be fired, as he was not fit for his post.

A video of Sinha had gone viral in social media in which he was seen directing cops to ‘crack the heads’ of protesting farmers.