'Will Withdraw Farmers' Protest If Centre Fulfills Our Demands By Jan 26': BKU Leader Rakesh Tikait

BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said that if the government fulfills their demands before January 26, 2022 then the farmers will withdraw the protest.

New Delhi: The Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait who is leading the farmers' protest against the three contentious Farm Laws, said on Wednesday that the farmers will leave the protest site and return to their homes if the government fulfills all their demands.

Tikait said that though the Prime Minister has announced repealing of the three agri laws, farmers also want a guarantee on MSP along with the compensation for the death of 700 farmers which occurred during the one-year-long protest. 

"If the government has made the announcement to repeal the farm laws then they can bring a law for that but MSP and death of over 700 farmers are also our issues the government should discuss this. If the Centre fulfills our demands by January 26, 2022, we will withdraw the protest and return to our homes.  Will discuss elections after the code of conduct has been imposed," the BKU leader told ANI.

Apart from BKU, The SKM has put forth six demands before the government. Besides the legal guarantee for minimum support price, the farmers are demanding the removal of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, whose son is an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, withdrawal of cases against farmers, building a memorial for the protesters who lost their lives during the agitation and withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill.

Rakesh Tikait announced on Tuesday that as many as 60 tractors will head to Parliament in the national capital as part of a tractor march, which will be organised by farmer unions on November 29 (to conincide with the beginning of the winter session of Parliament), to press for their demand for a statutory guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

"The tractors will go through the roads, which have been opened by the government. We were accused of keeping the roads blocked. We did not block the road. Blocking the roads is not our movement. Perhaps, our movement is to talk to the government. We will straight go to the Parliament," Tikait told news agency ANI.