Farmers Movement Archive

'Could not see his tears': What Kejriwal said on farmer leader Rakesh Tikait

Addressing a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Meerut, a stronghold of the Tikaits, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he reached out to Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, one of the farmers’ leaders spearheading the protests against the three central farm laws, after he was manhandled by the police in January this year."I could not believe what I saw on television on January 28. India's famous farmer leader Baba Mahendra Singh Tikait's son who has been protesting on Delhi borders for so long for farmers was crying after the police sent by the government misbehaved with him. He has everything by god's grace but what he is doing is only for the farmers," Kejriwal said"I called Sanjay ji (Sanjay Singh) and he made me talk to Rakeshji. I told him don't worry, we are with you. I asked him what he needs. I asked him to be strong, not to worry. He said the Ghazipur site needs water and toilet infrastructure. We send our MLAs at night and ensured the needful was done. I told him don't give up, the entire country is watching you," Kejriwal said.After Republic Day violence, which Kejriwal said was orchestrated by BJP, sullied the image of the so-far peaceful protest of the farmers, protesters at Ghazipur border were asked to vacate the site by the Ghaziabad administration. As the crowd started becoming thin, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait broke down and his emotional appeal revived the energy of the protest.Coming down heavily on the BJP, the Delhi CM said Red Fort violence was staged. He said farmers didn't know the roads of Delhi. "Those who reached Red Fort and hoisted flag were BJP workers. Our farmers can be anything but anti-nationals," Kejriwal said.Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party announced that it would contest in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2022. His highly charged address at Meerut Kisan Mahapanchayat also came as a poll pitch, as he enumerated the welfare steps that his government has taken in Delhi.Taking on Yogi Adityanath government, Kejriwal said, "Show me one mandi where minimum support price is there. BJP ministers are claiming everywhere that MSP is there and will always be there. I want to ask the Yogi government to show me where it is implemented.

Hindustan Times

28-02-2021

India