Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers’ protest: Rakesh Tikait to hold mahapanchayat in Jaipur tomorrow

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait will address a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Jaipur on Tuesday. Raja Ram Meel, president of the Jat Mahasabha, said the mahapanchayat will be held at Vidhyadhar Nagar stadium. It will also be the first such event in Jaipur to be addressed by Tikait, he said. “Earlier, he has held a few meetings in other districts, such as Hanumangarh and Ganganagar,” Meel said. “Farmers have understood that the Modi government has cheated them. The government is planning to hand over the agriculture sector to industrialists and farmers understand that. Therefore, there are countrywide protests against the farm laws,” he said. Meel said the BJP will suffer huge losses in elections, including the bypolls on three assembly seats in Rajasthan next month, over farmers’ issue. Earlier, Tikait held mahapanchayats in the districts of Alwar, Bharatpur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, Nagaur, Jodhpur, Karauli. More than 250 organisations in the state have pledged support to the mahapanchayat so far. These include CPI, CPM, Bhim Army, Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha, Jamiat-Ulema-Ae-Hind, and Akhil Bhartiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad. BJP leaders say that through Tikait’s mahapanchayats, the Congress is only trying to make up lost ground. “The farmers’ protest and Kisan Mahapanchayat have completely become political. They [the Congress] want to keep the farmers’ issue alive so they are sponsoring and supporting Rakesh Tikait’s mahapanchayat but they should understand that the farmers of the state are not connected with them,” said Mukesh Pareek, BJP state spokesperson. However, state Congress spokesperson Archana Sharma said, “BJP is frustrated because of the farmers’ protest. The mahapanchayat is being organised by the farmers, for the farmers. We are supporting it morally as our party also wants the black farm laws to be rolled back.” Tikait, who has been travelling to neighbouring states to garner support for the farmers’ protest, most of which is concentrated on Delhi borders since November 2020, has warned that the stir may continue till December this year.Speaking to mediapersons in Prayagraj earlier this month, the BKU national spokesperson said, “Had this government belonged to a political party, it would have talked to farmers and resolved the matter...But this government is being run by big business houses. It is bent upon selling the entire country.” Farmers have been protesting at different borders of the national Capital since November last year, against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Hindustan Times

22-03-2021

Jaipur