The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKU), which is spearheading the protests against the three farm laws enacted last year, will oppose the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due early next year, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said on Monday. He asked farmers not to vote for the BJP while maintaining they will not support any political party.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait meeting family members of sanitation worker who died in police custody in Agra. (HT photo)
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Tikait accused the BJP of cheating the farmers. “...thus, I will appeal farmers not to vote for the BJP in the state assembly elections,” said Tikait in Agra, where he met the family of a sanitation worker allegedly killed in police custody last week. He added their agitation will continue until the three laws are not withdrawn. “The masses will give a befitting reply to the BJP which has brought these farm laws.” He added the farmers were always ready for the talks.
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The SKM earlier asked voters to “punish” the party in Assam, West Bengal, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala assembly elections held this summer.
Tikait also accused the state government of discrimination when it comes to compensation. “...(Rs) 40 lakh was given to the family of a trader from Kanpur allegedly killed by police but only 10 lakh has been given to the family of the sanitation worker killed in Agra...(this) is unjustified,” He sought a judicial probe into the alleged custodial death.
Hemendra Chaturvedi is a senior journalist based at Agra. He covers eight districts of Agra and Aligarh division namely Agra, Mathura, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Aligarh, Etah, Kasganj and Hathras. He had been with HT since 1992 and has completed three decades of association with HT and has worked for Hindustan Times only all through his career of about 35 years. Having Masters in Chemistry, Hemendra is also a law graduate with diploma in Personnel Management and has utilised broad based academic qualifications in his indepth, accurate and high impact stories from this part of western Uttar Pradesh while being based in the city of Taj Mahal. In such long span of career with Hindustan Times, Hemendra Chaturvedi has led his team of reporters which was instrumental in bringing out supplements including Region Scan, Agra Live, HT City time to time and proven his leadership qualities and has made presence of HT felt in the region covered by him. In the process of time, Hemendra has attained expertise in a variety of beats, being sole reporter for HT and has covered Aligarh Muslim University, Taj Mahal centric tourism, religiously sensitive city of Mathura and had been witness to Agra Summit having attendance of top leaders of India and Pakistan.
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