Rakesh Tikait: MSP our key demand, govt has time to think till winter session

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday said the ongoing farmers’ protest will continue and that the government has time to think about their demands, especially guaranteeing the minimum support price (MSP) for a range of crops, till the winter session of the Parliament

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday said the ongoing farmers’ protest will continue and that the government has time to think about their demands, especially guaranteeing the minimum support price (MSP) for a range of crops, till the winter session of the Parliament.

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait was addressing a gathering of farmers at the UP Gate protest site in Ghaziabad on Friday (November 26) on completion of one year of the farmers’ protest against the three controversial farm laws passed by the Parliament. (Sakib Ali/HT photo)

Tikait was addressing a gathering of farmers at the UP Gate protest site in Ghaziabad on Friday (November 26) on completion of one year of the farmers’ protest against the three controversial agri laws passed by the Parliament. On November 26 last year, farmers arrived at the UP Gate, among other borders around the Capital, and occupied the Ghaziabad-Delhi carriageway of National Highway 9 to press their demand for the roll back of the three farm laws.

“The roll back of the three laws was beneficial for the common man. Our demand is for a law guaranteeing MSP for a range of crops. The government has time to think and understand our demands till the winter session goes on in the Parliament. The winter session will decide the future course of our agitation,” said Tikait while addressing the farmers at the UP Gate.

On November 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the three farm laws will be withdrawn. On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet approved the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 – a draft legislation to repeal the three controversial farm laws.

The development comes ahead of the state assembly elections due to be held in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab early next year.

“A meeting by SKM is scheduled on November 27 while a tractor march will be taken out by farmers on November 29,” said Tikait adding that 500 farmers in 30 tractors will proceed to the Parliament from UP-Gate to press their demands.

Asking farmers to exercise caution, Tikait added that “a game will be played” over the course of the next 10-15 days, where questions will be directed at farmers as to why they are still continuing with their protest despite the Prime Minister announcing the repeal of the three farm laws. “The government too will issue a statement in this regard once the three laws are rolled back (in the Parliament),” he said.

Calling the three farm laws a ‘disease’ which came along with Covid-19, Tikait said, “The three laws and Covid came together in 2019-20 and farmers fought both of them...the three laws were sort of a disease and it got treated. In fact, the fight against the three laws delayed our demands by one and half years,” said Tikait.

Farmer leaders said an open letter was sent to the Prime Minister in which they have reiterated the following demands-- MSP for their entire crop; withdrawal of Electricity Amendment Bill 2020/2021, removal of penal provisions for farmers in pollution law; withdrawal of cases lodged against farmers; compensation for families of farmers who lost their lives during the course of the agitation and resignation and arrest of Union minister of state (home) Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son is the prime suspect in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on October 3.

Social activist Yogendra Yadav, who also addressed the farmers at UP-Gate, said it is not a question of when will the farmers get up or vacate the areas.

“The issue is about when their demands will be fulfilled. Till then, the agitation will go on and the future course of action will be decided in SKM’s meeting on November 27,” Yadav said.

Chandra Mohan, spokesperson and state secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Uttar Pradesh, said both the state and the Centre have done their best for farmers. “Our governments have done the best in terms of getting the highest price for the farmers’ crops or making record purchase of their crops. For some people, it is just an agitation ,” he said.