Farmers Movement Archive

Rakesh Tikait by his side, Raut says Sena will contest against Yogi in Ayodhya too

MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena on Thursday reached out to prominent farmers’ leader Rakesh Tikait to gauge the pulse of farmers as it plans to contest upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.Sena chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to Tikait as Sena leader Sanjay Raut met the farm leader in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar to seek “blessings” of the farmers in its fight in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.The Shiv Sena, which is planning to field candidates on around 50 to 100 seats in Uttar Pradesh, is banking on the support of farmers.Raut, who is on a visit to New Delhi and UP to mobilise party workers and chalk out its plan, said the party will contest elections at Mathura, Varanasi and against UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Ayodhya.Despite its thin presence in UP, Sanjay Raut said the Sena will win seats in the upcoming election, as a “change of power” is expected in the largest state in the country.Raut, who described his meeting with Tikait as “apolitical”, said they mostly discussed issues related to farmers. Thackeray in his phone conversation with Tikait spoke about the Maharashtra government’s policies to support the farmers. Thackeray also invited Tikait to visit Maharashtra, Raut said.“Both Uddhav ji and Rakesh Tikait had a long conversation and both leaders discussed farmers’ issues. We will never ask Tikait ji to enter electoral politics. But this country’s politics cannot function without the support of the farmers. Farmers decide who sits on the throne, and history has shown that once people come to power, they forget the farmers. [But] two months after coming to power, Uddhav ji wiped out the loans of the farmers,” Raut said at a press conference along with Rakesh Tikait.The farmers’ leader said he intended to visit Maharashtra soon. “He invited me to Maharashtra and said that we will discuss Maharashtra’s policies for agriculture and farmers. We will see their policy and spread it elsewhere in the country. We are not connected to politics. It is a political party’s job to contest an election. The Maharashtra government has always supported the farmers’ movement in Delhi. Whenever there was a bandh announced, it was followed in Maharashtra,” said Tikait.Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP added that the party will not enter into an alliance with any political party in UP. The Sena leader said it will win seats in UP in the upcoming elections. “We are confident that we will have a representation in the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly.” At the legislative assembly level in Uttar Pradesh, apart from getting one MLA elected in 1991, all of Sena’s previous attempts have drawn a blank.The party will also field a candidate in Ayodhya opposite chief minister Adityanath.“We are not here to contest against any one person alone. We are here to do our brand of politics and contest elections. Does it say in the Constitution that we cannot contest against some particular person? Yes, we will contest the election in Ayodhya,” said Raut when asked if Sena will field candidates against the Yogi Adityanath, who may contest from Ayodhya instead of Gorakhpur seat.The Shiv Sena is also expected to take up the Hindutva agenda in its campaign in Uttar Pradesh. Raut said that the Ram temple in Ayodhya is built after the court’s verdict and no political party can take its credit. “If they take the credit, Shiv Sena has a major role in it... We have never abandoned Hindutva. Now even Rahul Gandhi speaks of Hindus and Hindutvawadis,” Raut said.

Hindustan Times

13-01-2022

India