'Kanoon wapsi nahi, to ghar wapsi nahi': Tikait announces new slogan for farm protests

Farmers have been protesting at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh at Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu against the three farm laws for over two months.

Red Fort vandalism: Police arrest first suspectBharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait) leader Rakesh Tikait gave a new slogan to protesters at Ghazipur on Tuesday “Kanoon wapsi nahi, to ghar wapsi nahi (no returning home, until the laws are repealed)”, and urged them to start preparing to stay till October, November.

Tikait said the ongoing stir against the three new farm laws will continue till the legislations are repealed. (HT Photo)

Farmers have been protesting at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh at Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu against the three farm laws for over two months.

On Tuesday, protesters from Tikri and Singhu reached Ghazipur to present a joint front as the police and local authorities have taken unprecedented measures to contain them at the protest site by putting in place several layers of metal and concrete barriers, fixing iron spikes on the road and building walls of concrete in the aftermath of the violence during the tractor rally on Republic Day.

Tikait said the ongoing stir against the three new farm laws will continue till the legislations are repealed.

Addressing a huge gathering of protesters at Ghazipur on Tuesday, Tikait said, “When we had started the protest at Delhi borders, we thought that the government would resolve the issue before January 26. But it doesn’t look like the government wants to resolve it. We will now have to make a longer strategy. I urge people to start preparing to continue this movement till October and November.”

The Ghazipur protest site--- where the Ghaziabad administration served an eviction notice to the protesters last week---- was brimming with supporters on Tuesday. Despite several roads connecting Delhi to the protest site remaining sealed due to multi-layer barricades and a heavy security deployment, supporters continued to arrive not only from neighbouring UP, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand, but also from states as far as Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The supporters used the roads from Uttar Pradesh to reach the Ghazipur protest site.

President of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) Joginder Singh , who is a prominent leader of protesters at Tikri border, reached Ghazipur with over 600 farmers on Tuesday. “The government thought that Rakesh (Tikait) was alone at Ghazipur and it can get the protest site vacated easily. But Tikait did not let that happen. He, in fact, emerged as the hero of our movement who has successfully managed to turn the tables on the government’s conspiracy,” he said.

Azad Kisan Samiti (Doaba) leader Harpal Singh Sangha, who had visited Ghazipur protest site from the Singhu border with a large group of people, said, “Ghazipur border has given a new hope to our movement. It has clearly conveyed our message to the government that we won’t succumb to their pressure. We also want to make it clear that if anyone tries to target the protesters at Ghazipur border again, those at Singhu will not spare them.”

Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut also visited the protest site and met Tikait on Tuesday.

Tikait said he was overwhelmed by the support. “But I am not a hero. It’s the love and support of farmers and union leaders that helped revive the protest at Ghazipur. Singhu border was, is and will always be the headquarters of our movement,”

Throughout the day on Tuesday, Tikait was seen attending supporters. Farmers from different states continued to carry water for him. On January 28, Tikait broke down in front of supporters and media persons, and appealed that he wants people to come and offer him water from the villages. Last week, the farmers had alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government cut off the water supply to the protest site.

Earlier in the day, the BKU leader was also seen having lunch sitting on ground next to a Delhi police barricade. “We are not criminals that the police have blocked all the roads to stop us entering our national capital,” Tikait said as he broke down while having his food.

Meanwhile, several protesters at the site on Tuesday said the police have turned the protest site into a “fortress”. “It looks like we are living at the Wagah border. If the police think that we will feel threatened by all these barricades then they are wrong. Our people are getting all the essential supplies to sustain the protest for as long as it takes. The barricades are just making life difficult for common people,” said Rakesh Yadav, a resident of Meerut.