Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU)’s in Uttar Pradesh (UP), on December 6 said to Hindustan Times that the farmers will enter the national capital and start farming on the lawns of India Gate if the central government doesn’t accept their demand of rolling back the three new farm laws.
Tikait said, “If the government does not accept our demand and revoke these three farm laws, we will break all barriers and enter the national capital…. We will ride our tractors into the national capital and will do farming on the lawns of India Gate.”
He further said that the farmers would allot each lawn to different ministers and members of Parliament. “We will allot each lawn near India Gate to different MPs and ministers and put up a board specifying which lawn belongs to whom and will give the government a chance to get a first-hand experience of how we cultivate the produce so that they understand our plight...The government should not underestimate farmers,” Tikait said.
Urging farmers not to use “objectionable language” & avoid “political references” in their speeches, Tikait said, “We should not let anyone take political advantage from our movement. Limit your speeches and talks to topics related to the movement.”
Chandra Pal Singh, a farmer from Bhojpur village in Ghaziabad told to Hindustan times Correspondent that many of their brothers have left to check on their fields back home and they will return before December 8 to participate in the Bharat Bandh call given by farmers. They will assemble here in large numbers before December 8.
The Ghazipur protest site got visitors from neighbouring Noida and Ghaziabad on December 6. Dharmendra Singh, a Railway Protection Force personnel from Meerut told to Hindustan times Correspondent that he took 2 days off to come here and extend my solidarity to the protesting farmers. All of them are directly or indirectly connected to farmers and they cannot survive without them. The government should listen to its demands.
