On BJP, Tikait brothers differ
While BKU chief Naresh Tikait had warned people from inviting party leaders; Rakesh said he’d welcome them
GHAZIABAD: A day after Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait asked farmers not to invite Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leaders for functions, his brother and BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait held a different stand.
Rakesh Tikait said he had no issues with the party leaders and would even welcome them with food.
“We have no issues with the BJP. It is a big party and has a lot of support. Their leaders are working on election mode and move out early morning,” said Rakesh Tikait on Saturday. “If they come to us, we will serve them food and will also pursue them to listen to our issues.”
On Friday, at a panchayat held in his hometown of Sisoli in Muzaffarnagar, Naresh Tikait said, “Those who would invite them (BJP leaders and workers) defying the panchayat’s dikat would have offer food to 100 people as penalty.”
On February 13, speaking from the dais at UP Gate, Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said, “The people of the BJP have attacked us in order to disrupt our agitation. If these BJP people come to your village or in neighbourhood villages and hold rallies or come to seek votes, then you should give them same treatment what they dished out to us.”
Uttar Pradesh local body elections are scheduled for March and the state along with Uttarakhand will go to polls next year. Farmers form a significant voter base that leaders from all parties accept they could not ignore.
The districts in western Uttar Pradesh nowadays are hotbed of political activity in wake of ongoing farmers’ protest at Delhi borders and the state, ruled by the
BJP led government, is also scheduled to go for Panchayat elections in near future.
The BJP leaders said diktats against it would have no impact.
“We are a democratic country and people have liberty to take up agitation. But it has a limit and people should abide the limit. If such statements are made, these are basically extension of previous statements made by people for encouraging migration of people from western UP and even asking people to purchase items from selective people. Such discriminatory statements find no relevance in a democratic setup,” said Chandra Mohan, spokesperson and state unit secretary of the BJP. “Our leaders and supporters are already meeting people and they stay among people. We have not witnessed any effect of such statements or calls,” he added.