Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday met Rakesh Tikait, the farmer leader who has been protesting against the three farm laws of the Centre.
"We spoke to Tikait sahib, gave our message and expressed solidarity. The government should speak to farmers in a proper way. Ego would not help run the country," Raut said after the meeting.
The Shiv Sena has been supporting the farmers who are agitating at Delhi's border points for over two months against the Centre's three new farm laws.
"The Maha Vikas Aghadi government took decisions in the interest of farmers. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray stood with farmers when they were in pain," Raut had tweeted ahead of his meeting with Tikait.
Also Read | Farmers’ protest: Barricaded roads lead to massive snarls in Delhi
Tikait has emerged as the man who once again pulled the farmers' movement on track after the violence on Republic Day. His emotive pull (in the form of tears) turned the tide.
Tikait was once a Delhi Police constable, and has even tried his hand at electoral politics, but finally chose to become a farmer leader.
The violence during tractor rally on Republic Day, which took place when a group of farmers clashed with the police resulting in injuries on both sides, threatened to derail the movement. But now, the focus has shifted to Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border where Tikait is leading the farmers to push for the demand of repealing the three laws.
{{/usCountry}}The violence during tractor rally on Republic Day, which took place when a group of farmers clashed with the police resulting in injuries on both sides, threatened to derail the movement. But now, the focus has shifted to Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border where Tikait is leading the farmers to push for the demand of repealing the three laws.
{{/usCountry}}He is also one of the accused in the January 26 violence in Delhi.
Meanwhile, security arrangements continue to be strengthened at the Delhi-UP border site, which is galvanising farmers from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. On Monday, Delhi Police Commissioner S N Srivastava and other senior police officers visited Ghazipur border to take stock of the security arrangements.
Drones have also been deployed to monitor the protesters.
Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been camping at Delhi's borders for weeks, seeking a repeal of the three agriculture laws.
They claim that the new laws will weaken the minimum support price (MSP) system. But the Centre says the laws will only give farmers more options to sell their produce.
The issues even affected Parliament proceedings as the Rajya Sabha or Upper House was adjourned thrice in the day, and then for the day due to opposition protest.