Farmers Movement Archive

BKU digs in heels, gives call to intensify stir

Muzaffarnagar: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Thursday stood its ground, as it slammed the violence in Delhi but refused to relent against the three contentious farm laws brought by the Centre. In the evening, BKU issued a statement asking farmers to reach Ghazipur protest point, where a stand-off was building up as the Ghaziabad administration had asked the protesters to clear the site by Thursday night.The Ghazipur border was shut and traffic was diverted to other routes.BKU chief Naresh Tikait asked farmers across Uttar Pradesh to erect tents on roads. Another prominent BKU leader and its spokesperson, Rakesh Tikait, has said he will commit suicide instead of ending the protest. The statements came a few hours after the BKU president slammed the January 26 violence.On Wednesday night, Naresh said that those who stormed Red Fort were “wolves in the guise of farmers”. “Red Fort incident is a blot on the country. Those who were part of it were wolves in the guise of farmers. They should be identified and punished,” he said. In the same breath, the BKU chief had criticised the FIRs registered against union leaders.“Filing of FIRs and arresting the union leaders will not solve anything. They will get bails sooner or later. If not in this government, then in the next one. Let us talk about the welfare of the farmers without getting distracted,” Naresh had said.

The Times of India

2021-01-29

Meerut