Farmers Movement Archive

NRI from London brings Thames water for Tikait

ROHTAK: Swayed by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait’s January 28 appeal which had gone viral, an NRI from the UK recently brought water from the Thames river of London to Ghazipur border of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Rohit Ahlawat, who is from Jhajjar’s Dadhlan village and has been living in London for 11 years, brought a botter of water to Tikait on February 7. “Ever since the agitation started by farmers in Haryana, I have been keeping a tab on the issue. For 75 days, farmers have been sitting around Delhi borders. I got moved on January 28, when Tikait was in tears and pledged to drink water only when it is brought to him by his fellow farmers,” Rohit added. He said he got his tickets done and landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on February 7. “I took my wife and four-year-old son directly to Ghazipur border to hand over the bottle to Tikait after crossing barricades set up by Delhi Police,” he said. “Since, I was living in London, I decided to bring water from there as an expression of solidarity from the NRI community,” he said. Rohit said he did not stop at Ghazipur and went ahead to meet farmers at Tikri and Singhu borders also. “We spent two days with farmers on a protest site to understand their sufferings and reasons for being on road against the three laws,” he added. He said he was appalled to witness the condition under which farmers had been sustaining the fight against the Centre. “The laws may not impact me directly, but it is my duty to stand with them because my family is still engaged in farming at Jhajjar. I cannot run away from my duty to support them,” he said.

The Times of India

2021-02-11

Chandigarh