Farmers Movement Archive

Country being run by private firms: Rakesh Tikait

PRAYAGRAJ: Raising the pitch against the new farm laws, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said that had there been a government in the country, private companies would not have been ruling the roost and such anti-farmer ordinances would not have been introduced. “The movement will continue as the government is not willing to accept our demands despite several rounds of talks... A large number of farmers are still present at the Delhi border and the agitation will continue till the agricultural bill is withdrawn and legislation on minimum support price is not enacted,” said the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson, who was in the city while on the way to Rewa from West Bengal as part of his nationwide tour to garner support for a legislation on MSP. He said, a handful of rice is being sought from voters in Bengal. In his tour of West Bengal, he has appealed to the farmers that while giving rice, they must demand that its MSP should also be enacted. He demanded that MSP of paddy should be Rs 1,850 per quintal. The farmer leader said, 4.5 crore small traders would be ruined by the new farm laws as weekly markets will be closed. Today, airport, LIC and banks are being privatised and the government is being run by private companies. The government is saying that by enacting a law on MSP, the trader will be at a disadvantage, he claimed. Asked on the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, he said: “We are not political people. If the government accepts our demands, we can also support the government. The basic purpose of this yatra is to connect the farmers across the country with the movement,” On funding the farmer movement, he said there is no need for it. “There are farmers in the movement who just eat pulses and roti. What do they need funding for,” he asked.

The Times of India

2021-03-15

Allahabad