New Delhi: BKU spokesperson and leader of the farmers' protest Rakesh Tikait joined the ABP News during the Shikhar Sammelan event and spoke on the allegations of protesting farmers representing opposition parties and supporting them. Tikait said that the protesting farmers are not in support of any political party and they just want the government to consider their demands and take back the three Farm laws.
The farmers' leader further said that since the government is not listening to their demands, farmers have planned to march Lucknow and hold a mahapanchayat there.
Considering the upcoming UP elections, Tikait said that they are not taking out any rallies to support other political parties but farmers are not happy with the present government and to voice their opinions they will gherao Lucknow as the government is focusing on the events in UP.
On being asked about the Red Fort violence incident and holding a march towards Parliament during the budget session, Tikait said, "Is it a crime to go to the Red Fort or are their laws restricting people to speak about inflation, rise in electricity rates, petrol prices? Farmers are just trying to make the government understand the issues they are facing and since the Centre is not able to reach a conclusion even after twelve rounds of talks, farmers have decided to hold a mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh?"
On being asked about the reducing numbers of protesting farmers and Thakur Bhanu Partap's BKU backing out of the protest, Tikait launched an attack and said, "Those who left the protest midway are people from BJP and they are not thinking about the welfare of the farmers. but playing politics.
Thakur Bhanu Pratap, whose Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) was one of several farmers’ unions protesting against the three contentious central farm laws in Delhi, but withdrew from the stir after violence on January 26, had alleged that other farmers’ organisations protesting at the capital’s borders were ‘Congress sponsored.’