No 'ghar wapsi' till farmers' demands are met: Rakesh Tikait

Asserting that agitation against Centre’s farm laws is a people’s movement that will t fail, Bharatiya Kisan Union leer Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said re will be "ghar wapsi" till protesting farmers' demands are met.

Tikait lauded role of "khap panchayats" (caste councils) and ir leers in supporting farmers' stir.

dressing a "Kisan Mahapanchayat" near here, Tikait said government should rollback contentious farm laws, frame a new legislation to assure continuation of minimum support price (MSP) for crops and release farmers arrested recently.

"re will be 'ghar wapsi' till farmers' demands are met," he said. "Yeh jan andolan hai, yeh fail nahi hoga (this is a people's movement, this will t fail)," he ded.

Tikait claimed campaign against agriculture laws is going strong. With many "khap" leers present at “mahapanchayat”, Tikait lauded ir role in strengning stir.

Independent MLA from Dri and chief of Sangwan Khap, Sombir Sangwan, who in December withdrew his support to BJP-JJP government in Haryana, dubbing it “anti-farmer”, was present at event. Earlier on February 3, Tikait h dressed his first “Kisan Mahapanchayat” in Haryana's Kandela in Jind.

BKU leer from Uttar Presh has been camping at Ghazipur on Delhi-UP border as part of a campaign by farmer unions against central laws enacted in September.

Tikait said that “khaps” go back to days of King Harshvardhana and have been playing ir role in society ever since. BKU leer said when farmers' stir started, attempts were me to divide it by calling it agitation of Punjab and Haryana. Seeking to project unity among farmer unions, Tikait said "manch (st) and panch (leers leing stir) will t change".

BKU leer, whose emotional appeal recently h revived protest that was losing momentum after January 26 violence in Delhi, said people from different section of society were leing and part of stir. Cautioning protesting farmers, Tikait said "Some people will try to divide you as Sikh, n-Sikh" but y should remain united.

Tikait again praised BKU leer from Punjab, Balbir Singh Rajewal, who was present on occasion, for providing a sound leership to stir. "Rajewal is our big leer, he is very wise. We will fight this battle strongly," he said.

Tikait also me a mention of trdy caused by a glacier burst at Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, leing to a massive flood in Dhauli Ganga river and causing large-scale devastation in upper reaches of ecologically fragile Himalayas.

"A big trdy has struck Uttarakhand. I appeal to BKU family and or farmer organisations to lend a helping hand and assist local ministration," he said.

He appealed to all to conserve water and plant trees to protect environment. Meanwhile, taking a lesson from Jind Mahapanchayat where st h collapsed, organisers h brick-lined st this time.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late vember 2020 at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Presh, demanding a rollback of Farmers' Produce Tre and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that se laws would pave way for dismantling of minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving m at "mercy" of big corporations.

However, government has maintained that new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new techlogies in agriculture.