Farmers Movement Archive

When farmer leader Tikait turned firefighter to defuse tension in Kheri

LUCKNOW: Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), who has emerged as a firebrand farmer leader for leading the protests against the three farm laws, showed the other side of his personality – that of a deft mediator – which helped the state government defuse tension in the aftermath of Lakhimpur Kheri incident. There are many in the Opposition who are terming Tikait as “unreliable” so far as his allegiance is concerned, there are others who believe that by acting as a negotiator between the farmers and the government, he proved that he is not playing into the hands of any political party but is concerned about the cause of the farmers. There might be some truth in both the opinions. Those who support the first theory corroborate their claims by digging into Tikait’s past and his political aspirations. Tikait joined the Delhi police in 1992 and resigned after a couple of years to join BKU. He unsuccessfully contested assembly elections from Khatauli seat in 2007 on Bahujan Kisan Dal (BKD) ticket with the support of the Congress party. In 2014, he contested the Lok Sabha election from Amroha on Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) ticket. Tikait was appointed the spokesperson of BKU in 2018. His elder brother Naresh Tikait took over as BKU president after the death of their father and farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait in 2011. However, those supporting Tikait say had politics been his motive, he would not have rushed to Kheri and stay there for three days to ensure justice is meted out to the family of victims. Irrespective of diverse views on his motive, the fact that the Yogi Adityanath government reposed complete faith in Tikait has come as a surprise to many. According to sources, soon after Tikait announced his plan to visit Kheri, UP government officials contacted him and assured him that he would be provided a smooth passage. The idea was that since the issue was related to farmers, Tikait should not be stopped from reaching Kheri as any hindrance to his movement could further agitate the farmers. Even Tikait, who has a good rapport with many officials earlier posted in the West UP region, assured them that he believed that there should be peace in the region and no one should be allowed to take political advantage of the situation. Tikait reached Kheri on October 3 night and immediately started deliberations with officials. His main demands included Rs 1 crore compensation each to the next of kin of deceased farmers, a government job to one of the family members, FIR against Union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ and his son Ashish Mishra and the arrest of the accused. Sources said the government officials agreed to all the demands and kept on negotiating on the compensation amount. After several rounds of discussions, Rs 45 lakh ex gratia was agreed upon, they added. According to sources, at no point Tikait showed any aggression as he knew that such a behaviour could trigger tension. Tikait played a crucial role in bringing the situation back to normal. He even rushed to Bahraich to convince the family members of one of the deceased farmers who were not ready to perform the last rites. According to political analysts, Tikait’s role in Kheri will cement his position as a farmer leader as his image was that of a leader of only Jat farmers. On social media too, Tikait was being painted as a troublemaker but his mediation in the Kheri incident may change his image to that of a trouble-shooter, analysts said. Talking to media persons in Kheri on Wednesday, Tikait said role in Kheri notwithstanding, the farmers’ agitation would continue till the three farm laws were withdrawn by the Centre.

The Times of India

2021-10-07

India