Farmers Movement Archive

This time farmers will sell their crop outside Parliament: Tikait

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, in Rajasthan to garner support for the farmers’ protest on Delhi borders, said on Tuesday that farmers will now sell their crop outside the Parliament.Addressing a Kisan Mahapanchayat, also his first in Jaipur, at Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium, Tikait said, “We will not spare this government which has divided the country on the lines of caste, creed, and religion. Get your tractors, you have to march to Delhi.”Watch | ‘Farmers will sell their produce in the Parliament…’: Rakesh TikaitHe added, “The government told us that farmers can sell their crops anywhere. We will prove it to them by selling our produce outside assemblies, Collector’s office and Parliament. No mandi could be better than Parliament. Last time [on Republic Day], 350,000 tractors had entered Delhi, and they will do so again.”State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Mukesh Pareekh said, “The Kisan Mahapanchayat was a flop show. Despite all the help from the Congress, there was hardly any crowd, clearly signalling that the farmers of Rajasthan do not support the protest. Some people are just confusing the farmers.”Also Read | NHAI suffers ₹814 cr toll loss in 3 states due to farmers’ protestHowever, 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 that the black farm laws should be rolled back.”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.Farmers have been protesting at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh 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

23-03-2021

Jaipur