Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait.File photo NEW DELHI: Continuing with his volte-face, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday asked farmers not to vote for the BJP in the assembly elections commencing on February 10.
n a post in Hindi on indigenous micro-blogging site Koo with the hashtag #novotetobjp, Tikait said: “Agitation would always keep happening for the protection of farmers’ interests.”
This is a U-turn from his earlier stand which Tikait, a prominent leader of the year-long farmers’ protest over the three farm reform laws, had adopted.
On January 19, he had said on Koo itself: “The farmers have to see the gains and losses.We do not support any political party.”
Similarly, his brother Naresh Tikait, who is the BKU president, has also made flip-flops over his organisation’s support to political parties in the ensuing assembly election.
Naresh Tikait first extended his support to the alliance of Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) and Jayant Chaudhary-headed Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly election.
Blessing the RLD candidates from Budhana and Meerapur constituencies of Muzaffarnagar at BKU headquarters in Sisauli village on January 14, Naresh Tikait had declared that wherever there were candidates of the (SP-RLD) alliance, people should make them win.
However, after meeting Union minister Sanjeev Baliyan , Naresh Tikait made a volte-face.“I said something that I should not have.Kisan Samyukt Morcha (KSM) is supreme and I am not above it.If any candidate comes here, I will give my blessings but no one should seek endorsement,” he said, adding, “BJP candidates are not our enemy, anyone can visit and seek my blessings but no one should seek endorsement.”
Rakesh Tikait’s latest stand stating BKU supporters, mostly farmers and Jats, not to vote the BJP, is a jolt to the ruling party.
Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western UP had led an agitation from November 26, 2020 to December 11, 2021 against the three agri-marketing laws.
They called off their strike only after assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who announced on November 19 – Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev – that the three farm laws would be repealed in the winter session of Parliament.The laws were repealed thereafter.
The BJP has been seeking to win back the support of the Jats and farmers of west UP region since then with top party leaders, including home minister Amit Shah and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath , making tours in the districts where Jats are dominant.
At a time when the BJP thought it was able to neutralise some of the sentiments of the farmers and Jats against the ruling party, Rakesh Tikait’s latest stance is likely to come as a setback.
In another post on Koo on Friday, Rakesh Tikait released an appeal to the farmers of BJP-ruled UP and Uttarakhand.He said SKM has asked the farmers to question the respective BJP governments in the two states.“SKM’s national leadership will address press conferences in nine cities of UP,” he said.
Reminding the farmers of the year-long agitation, the appeal mentions the 700 farmers who died and also about the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which four farmers and a journalist were mowed down allegedly by the SUV of Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra on October 3, 2021.
It says, “We need your support to teach the BJP which insults the farmers.”
The letter says the BJP had gone back on its promise to the farmers.
It asks the farmers to teach the BJP a lesson in the forthcoming elections in UP and Uttarakhand.
Facebook Twitter Linkedin EMail Looking for Something? Start a Conversation end of article PLAY EXCITING PUZZLES & GAMES Mini Crossword Play Now Sudoku Play Now Word Search Play Now More Puzzles Spotlight What you must know about crypto airdrops Top Digital marketing trends you need to know! Is cryptocurrency the future of money? Coronavirus outbreak Covid Cases in India Omicron Covid Variant Covid 19 News in India Coronavirus in Delhi Covaxin Vaccine Trending Topics Omicron Variant in India Live Assembly Elections 2022 Live Covid Deaths in India Winter Olympics 2022 Yash Dhull Top Stories Right Now city UP elections: BJP’s ‘do ladkon ki jodi’ jibe rakes up SP’s failed poll pacts india Live: ‘Vaccine effectiveness of 99.3% seen in individuals fully inoculated again…business Fresh blow to Elon Musk’s Tesla as India rejects call for tax breaks More Latest News.
