BKU holds rally against govt direction to not use tractors for ferrying passengers

The rally, held on Monday, was led by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, who asked farmers to fight against the government with “Tractor and Twitter”

MEERUT: To oppose the state government’s direction against using tractor trolleys for ferrying passengers, hundreds of farmers took out a tractor rally from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) headquarters in Muzaffarnagar’s Sisauli to the collectorate in Shamli.

The tractor rally, held on Monday, was led by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait (HT PHOTO)

The rally, held on Monday, was led by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, who asked farmers to fight against the government with “Tractor and Twitter”. He said, “Tractor is a multipurpose mode of transport in the rural belt. It is the backbone of farming and rural life and a symbol of our pride. We would not tolerate any kind of ban imposed on its use.”

Echoing his opinion, Yogesh Sharma, BKU’s Muzaffarnagar president, said, “The objective of the rally is to tell the government that tractor is an inseparable part of a farmers’ life. The CM issued the direction in the wake of the tractor trolley accident in Kanpur. By this logic, the government should also ban the railways as a lot of people die in train accidents. In fact, buses and aeroplanes should also come under the same bracket. However, the government only targets farmers because we raise our voice against atrocities.”

Jagdish Singh, former Chabaria village pradhan, also extended support to the rally. He said, “A tractor is the most affordable and easily available transport mode in rural areas. It ferries wedding parties, labourers, farmers, students, and commodities. In the last few years, it has also become a symbol of the farmers’ movement.”

Meanwhile, Dinesh Khera, BKU’s Hapur president, said, “Farmers will fight this Tughlaqi farman (an order devoid of logic) with utmost strength. If the order isn’t taken back, protests will intensify in the coming days.”