Rakesh Tikait vows to 'set Gujarat free'; claims Centre preventing farmers from protesting

Launching an all-India Kisan stir, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Friday, said that they (BKU) will go to Gujarat and 'set it free', amid the ongoing Centre-farmer faceoff on  Farm Laws. Addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Bahadurgarh, he said alleged that the BJP-ruled Gujarat is controlled by the Centre and hence not allowing its farmers to join the protests. He also repeated his vow, 'No Ghar Wapsi till Law Wapsi', reiterating that Singhu will remain the main site of protest. Farmers from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh continue to protest at Delhi's borders - Tikri, Singhu, and Ghazipur for over 75 days.

Farmers' protest: Rakesh Tikait to hold Kisan Mahapanchayat in Yavatmal on February 20

Tikait: 'Will set Gujarat free' 

Moreover, Tikait has announced a tour across Western India from February 14 to 23 - covering Haryana Maharashtra and Rajasthan, holding Kisan Mahapanchayats in these places to encourage more farmers to join the protests. Tikait, who has held Kisan Panchayats in Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Jind, Kurukshetra and Alwar, has irked the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha by calling off the 'Chakka Jam' in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand on February 6, which said that Tikait did not consult them before his 'hasty decision'. Several Punjab-based farm leaders have accused Tikait of claiming the protest as his own movement.

Tikait to join 7 'mahapanchayats' in 3 states starting Feb 14

Tikait re-energises farmer protests

The Muzaffarnagar Jat farm leader - Rakesh Tikait has been at the forefront of the farm movement at the  UP-Delhi borders. With the dip in farmers' protest after the 26 January violence and Red Fort incident, Tikait re-energised the protest as he called for farmers to head to Ghazipur, while breaking down on camera saying, " I will commit suicide, but won't vacate the protest site". His ardent plea evoked a massive response with thousands of farmers camping at Ghazipur. Tikait's call was in response to the Yogi government's order to vacate the Ghazipur protest site within 24 hours - cutting off water, electricity, and internet. 

SC panel talks with 12 farmer unions from 8 states on Farm laws as standoff continues

After Tikait's breakdown, politicians thronged Ghazipur border, where Tikait and other UP farmers are camped at. While Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh addressed the Kisan Mahapanchayat at Muzaffarnagar, politicians like Abhay Singh Chautala, Chaudhary Ajit Singh, Sanjay Singh, Arvind Kejriwal spoke to Tikat after he broke down. Many other leaders like Indian National Lok Dal’s Abhay Singh Chautala, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party’s Hanuman Beniwal, Congress' Ajay Lallu and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut have visited Tikait at Delhi borders. Tikait has contested in the 2007 UP Assembly elections from the Khatauli seat with Congress support and the  2014 Lok Sabha polls on a Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) ticket from Amroha - failing to win either, but helped BJP minister Sanjeev Kumar Balyan win 2019 polls defeating RLD's Ajit Singh.

Rakesh Tikait points 'PM didn't say will make law on MSP';vows to continue stir till Oct 2