Noida: Peeved over developments at the Ghazipur border site of farmers’ protest, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) on Friday re-launched its stir over the new farm laws, just a day after it had announced withdrawing its protest in Noida.
BKU (Lok Shakti) chief Thakur Sheoraj Singh Bhati called on the union’s supporters, who were camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida, to now reach Ghazipur border, where BKU members are staying put.
In a video message, Singh also appealed to BKU (Lok Shakti) supporters in western Uttar Pradesh to reach the farmers’ mahapanchayat that was convened in Muzaffarnagar.
Yesterday, an MLA of Ghaziabad had reached Ghazipur protest site along with his armed supporters. This act has distressed the soul of (BKU leader) Rakesh Tikait. An announcement was made regarding his arrest and ending of the protest there, but the MLA vitiated the atmosphere there and Tikait broke down, Bhati said.
BKU (Lok Shakti) will not tolerate any policy of suppression. The government or administration can take any action but no MLA or public representative can act cruelly with the farmers and BKU (Lok Shakti) will not tolerate this, he added.
Bhati said his faction will stand shoulder to shoulder with Tikait’s BKU in the fight against the new contentious farm laws.
BKU (Lok Shakti) had been camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida since December 2, demanding the rollback of the three new farm laws, legalization of the minimum support price for crops and implementation of recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report.
Bhati, the faction’s national president, had Thursday announced ending the protest in view of the violence during farmers’ tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day.
He and some other of his union members later Thursday also met with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
On the union chief’s call, office bearers of BKU (Lok Shakti) attended the mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar, while scores of supporters reached Ghazipur border to join the stir there on Friday evening.
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