Lucknow Jan 29 (UNI) Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday assured support to Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), the members of which are staging a protest against the Centre's new farm laws at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border.
Mr Yadav spoke to BKU leader Rakesh Tikait and assured support.
'Just spoke to Rakesh Tikaitji to check on his health. The entire country is watching the way the BJP government has accused and tortured the farmer leaders. Today even the supporters of the BJP bow their heads in shame and hid their faces. Today, even the spirit and sympathy of the country are with the farmers,' the SP chief posted on twitter.
He also condemned the violence at Singhu border and accused the BJP of 'instigating' the stone pelting at the ryots' camp on the national highway by the locals to mount pressure on the farmers to call off the agitation.
Earlier, Mr Yadav had dubbed the Union government's talks with farm unions as a "meaningless exercise" and had alleged that the government's move was a ploy to benefit the industrialists before the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Criticising the BJP, SP chief said the BJP wants to defeat the farmers' agitation by subverting it through questionable means. He alleged that the Union government is attempting to tire out the farmers' agitation by keeping them hungry and thirsty.
He said barring the few BJP leaders, entire country is with the farmers and their demand for the repeal of three agriculture laws, passed by Parliament in September last year.
He said Samajwadi party is committed to supporting the farmers' agitation.
On Thursday, Mr Yadav alleged that the central government crushed the movement of the farmers with deceit.
Tikait has been named specifically as one of the leaders who did not keep his promise of abiding by the plan for the farmers' tractor march, on January 26, as agreed with the Delhi police. This, the police say, was the main cause of the shocking riot.
Tikait's earlier video inciting farmers to carry sticks had also surfaced. He delivered his most provocative speech at the UP-Delhi border at Ghazipur on Thursday evening, where he also assaulted one person.
Meanwhile, sensing huge opportunity for itself during the 2022 UP assembly elections, Samajwadi Party has issued direction to all its district units, particularly in western UP to extend material and logistical support to the farmers for supporting their agitation.
The SP is already in alliance with the Jat-based political outfit Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) headed by the Ajit Singh.
The SP had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the RLD and the Bahujan Samaj party. The BSP had however walked out of the alliance soon after the Lok Sabha election results were announced in May 2019.
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