Farmers Movement Archive

We will go on till 2024 if we have to: Rakesh Tikait

BATHINDA: When on the evening of February 6, Uttar Pradesh-based farmer leader Rakesh Tikait had said farmers are ready to continue their protest till October 2, everybody had made fun of him feeling his claims to be hypothetical, away from reality, but now as the protests had breached that highly unlikely target and ready for much more beyond that, the determination of farmers of going to any length for repeal of farm laws, has again come to fore. After the call for chakka jam (road disruption) on February 6, Tikait had said we give time to the government till October 2 to repeal laws and we are ready to hold protest till then. Tikait might have made the claim spontaneously, eight months ago, without much thought, but as it has come true, now even the government seems to be taking the claims of protesting farmers seriously, feel the leaders of the Santyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the banner under whose patronage the farmer agitation is being spearheaded. “Yes, I remember of making the claims nearly eight months ago that the protests will go on till October 2. Going by the egoistic attitude of the central government, I had assessed that this government is not ready to listen to farmers and struggle will go for longer. Even though the situation is the same, we are getting some feelers from the government trying to mellow down its approach. We are, however, ready to go longer, even till 2024, if the government will not listen to the anndatas of the country,” Tikait said while speaking to TOI over phone. “Now, the farmers have decided to concentrate more energies on Uttar Pradesh and hope this may make the central government to listen to us,” said Tikait adding that they are ready for the talks if the government wanted to resume the dialogue process.

The Times of India

2021-10-03

Amritsar