Farmers Movement Archive

Tikait resolves differences with another Khap chieftain

MEERUT: Bharatiya Kisan Union chief and head of Baliyan Khap Naresh Tikait resolved his differences with Choudhary of Gathwala Malik Khap Rajendra Singh, sharing the dais with him in the panchayat in Kurawa village in Muzaffarnagar district on Sunday, with the former extending his full support to the proposed Mahapanchayat on September 5. To note, Rajendra Singh was annoyed after the attack on BJP MLA Umesh Malik in Tikait’s village Sisauli. Gathwala Malik Khap is one of the major Khaps in the region which extends up to Haryana and has members in 52 villages of the region. Rajendra Singh, head of this Khap had expressed his dismay after attack on BJP MLA from Budhana constituency Umesh Malik in Tikait’s village Sisauli on August 14. Sisauli is also headquarters of the BKU where Malik had gone to attend a programme and faced the wrath of farmers. Umesh is a member of Gathwala Khap and believed to be close to Rajendra Singh. Attack on him annoyed Singh and he avoided attending panchayats being organised to support the proposed Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar on September 5 under the aegis of BKU. Naresh Tikait is also choudhary of Baliyan Khap which has its members in 84 villages of the region. The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha ( SKM) has given call for Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat under BKU. It’s chief Naresh Tikait, his son Gaurav Tikait and other BKU leaders are reaching out to people through meetings, panchayats and seeking support of Khap chieftains and thambedars, including Gathwala Malik Khap. Though Rajendra Singh kept away from such meetings after attack on Umesh Malik, his counterpart of Baliyan Khap said, “We will persuade him in the interest of farmers,” and eventually both shared the dais in Kurawa village on Sunday and vowed to fight together for farmers. Former MP and member of Gathwala Khap, Harendra Malik also attended the panchayat and admitted that both had resolved differences on Sunday. Describing the forthcoming panchayat asa symbol of farmers’ struggle, Malik said that choudharies always came together in he larger interest of society and farmers and the same thing occurred on Sunday. Vikas Malik of Kurawa admitted that Khap head Rajendra Singh had faced tremendous pressure to attend the panchayat and extend his support to the Mahapanchayat, as 3 out of 4 thambedars (regional heads of the Khap) were already supporting the Mahapanchayat and majority of clan members too had shown their inclination towards it. Budhana block pramukkh Vinod Malik too believed that clan members’ growing support to the Mahapanhayat eventually compelled Rajendra Singh to think over his decision and he attended the panchayat with Tikait and both leaders vowed to intensify their fight for farmers. Malik accused the BJP of trying to divide people to weaken the ongoing farmers’ movement and said, “People now understand their dirty politics of dividing people so they ey won’t fall in the trap anymore”. Referring to controversial statements given by a few BJP leaders about farmers’ movement in the past, former MP Harendra Singh said that it was a calculated move of the BJP to provoke people and their any wrong move could give the party opportunity to malign the movement. “Their eventual strategy seems to project the ongoing movement as a Jat and non-Jat stir”, said Malik.

Hindustan Times

30-08-2021

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