Muzaffarnagar (UP) Apr 19 (PTI) Farmer leader Naresh Tikait on Friday expressed skepticism about the BJP’s claim of the NDA crossing the 400-mark and claimed “there is no excitement among people” about the polls.
“If they are saying 400, then what is the need for them to contest elections? It is special that they can perceive this in advance. Do they have any astrologer who has predicted that this is going to happen?” said Tikait, national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) while speaking to ‘PTI Videos’.
Polling in eight Lok Sabha constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh, including Muzaffarnagar, are underway on Friday in the first phase.
“People express their feelings through their votes. However, the voting is slow, and it will be like this till evening. There is no excitement among people, they are disillusioned now. Also, elections are being held in several phases… elections should be held in a single phase and the results should be declared on the third day and (new government’s) oath-taking in the next four-five days,” he suggested.
“There is an Emergency-like situation in the country. These are the talks among the public,” Tikait further said.
“People of this area don’t like slavery. There might be some region, state or seat that likes slavery. People are opposing slavery by not casting their votes.
“The era of booth capturing has passed… everyone is complaining about the machine, then why are the polls not being conducted through ballot papers? 90-95 per cent people are against the machine (EVM). It is a machine and can be tempered with,” Tikait claimed.
Talking about payment to sugarcane farmers, Tikait said, “They show the payment as a favour. Are they giving it for free? Have we not given them our sugarcane produce? The farmers today are feeling cheated and feel they have lost everything. Farmers are sad.” PTI CDN CDN MNK MNK
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