The central government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party has not fulfilled promises made to farmers after repealing the three farm laws, Meghalaya governor Satya Pal Malik said on Sunday, claiming that he was offered the post of President if he did not speak out against the contentious laws.
Farmers should be united and form their own government in the 2024 general elections, Malik said a gathering of khaps at Kandela village in Haryana’s Jind district.
“My tenure as a governor will end in the next six to seven months, and after that I will launch an outreach campaign to unite all the farmers of northern India,” said Malik, who is a veteran Jat leader from Uttar Pradesh.
Although close to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Malik in recent times has been critical of the party’s policies, particularly the farm reforms that saw widespread protests.
{{/usCountry}}Although close to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Malik in recent times has been critical of the party’s policies, particularly the farm reforms that saw widespread protests.
{{/usCountry}}“We had lost more than 700 farmers and the Prime Minister, who used to write a letter on the death of a bitch, did not speak a single word to condole their death,” Malik said in a strong attack on the government. “The union government has failed to give legal guarantee on the MSP because the Prime Minister’s friend, who had constructed a godown on 50 acres of land in Panipat before the three farm laws were brought, want to purchase wheat at lower prices and sell the same at higher prices and this is a battle between farmers and government.”
The Meghalaya governor was echoing accusations of farmers who had said during the protests that the laws were enacted in the interests of big business.
Malik also claimed some of his friends in the BJP told him that he will be elevated to the post of President if he did not speak in favour of protesting farmers. “They tried to lure me from every angle, but I turned down all their proposals and spoke in favour of farmers... These posts of governor and president are nothing,” he said.
“It’s time to oust the Delhi leaders from power by bringing our people to one platform,” Malik said.
Commenting on the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Malik said BJP leaders and ministers had struggled to enter many villages in western UP, which went to polls in the first phase.
“I had visited many villages of western UP, and people in rural areas were very angry at the BJP leaders,” he said. “Even union minister Smriti Irani had to run for several kilometres after she faced farmers’ ire.”
The governor also slammed the union government for labelling the Sikh community and farmers as terrorists after the Republic Day violence last year.
“The farmers did nothing wrong by hoisting the nishan sahib (Sikh holy flag) at a pole in front of the Red Fort,” Malik said.