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Farmers’ mahapanchayat in Meerut prepares ground for Delhi stir on March 20
Tikair brothers address mahapanchayat , demand immediate arrest of those who issued death threats to the family ; they accuse govt of doing injustice to farmers in the name of land acquisition
MEERUT Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait accused the union government of forgetting the promises in the BJP’s poll manifesto and called upon farmers to reach Delhi in big numbers for the mahapanchayat on March 20 and ensure success of the movement over the “government’s hollow promises regarding MSP, withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during the 13-month-long agitation and other issues.
He, along with his brother and BKU chief Naresh Tikait, was addressing a mahapanchayat convened outside the office of the divisional commissioner’s office here and thousands of farmers from Meerut division participated in it.
The speakers at the event also demanded immediate arrest of those who issued death threats to the Tikait family on Thursday and warned of a decisive battle if the culprits were not arrested soon.
Expressing anger over the installation of meters at tubewells, Rakesh Tikait said: “They (the govt) are doing it deliberately so that in future they could recover huge electricity bills from farmers.”
He also accused the government of doing injustice to farmers over issue of land acquisition. BKU chief Naresh Tikait called officials of sugarcane and electricity departments on the dais and asked them to be ready to face the anger of farmers, if cane dues were not paid and meters not removed from tubewells.
The BKU leaders called upon farmers to be united, if they wanted to live a respectable life.
“You need to come on a common platform and be a part of a big movement. We can’t stop participating in movements because it is the destiny of all those born in the Tikait family,” said Rakesh Tikait.
