Farmers Movement Archive

'Tractor rally not a bad thing, will hold one in Delhi on Independence Day': Rakesh Tikait

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has supported the tractor rally call given by farmers of Jind in Haryana on Independence Day. Tikait said a tractor rally is not a "bad thing"."Carrying out tractor rally is not a bad thing. People of Jind (Haryana) are revolutionary. They've taken the right decision of carrying out the tractor parade on August 15. Don't know what Samyukt Kisan Morcha decides," Tikait said on Sunday."It will be a moment of pride to see the tractor parade with national flags mounted on them. It builds a spirit of nationalism," he added.The remarks come months after a similar tractor rally led to clashes between the farmers and the policemen on streets of the national capital on Republic Day. The farmers even reached the historic Red Fort and hoisted a flag (other than the Tricolour), which led to escalation of the confrontation.The BKU leader has been sitting with the farmers who have launched a protest at Jantar Mantar in the form of a 'Kisan Sansad'. Two hundred farmers visit the site every day and carry out a sit-in from 11am to 5pm. This is yet another attempt to intensify their nearly eigh-month-ling protest against three farm laws passed by Parliament in September last year.Asking the Haryana government to let farmers do the flag hoisting in Jind, on Independence Day, Tikait said, "People of Jind are revolutionaries, if they have said they won't let ministers unfurl the national flag in their villages, then they won't. What will the ministers do by hoisting flags? Let farmers do it on August 15."The farmer leader further said that 'jatha' (group) of farmers from Moradabad, Hapur and Amroha - all in Uttar Pradesh - will come to the protest site in Delhi and carry out a tractor parade on roads on August 15.Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year demanding the scrapping of three agri 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.Several rounds of talks have taken place between the Centre and the farmers but the impasse remains.

Hindustan Times

26-07-2021

India