Rakesh Tikait urges more farmers to join, says Gujarat on his radar

Addressing a kisan mahapanchayat in Haryana’s Bahadurgarh on Friday afternoon, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait called on farmers from other states to join the movement. “The government is trying to imprison roti and anaj. Do not let them do so…,” he said, emphasising that the protests will only get bigger.

Organised by Dalal Khap 84 on the Bahadurgarh bypass, the mahapanchayat saw a number of farm leaders take the stage.

Addressing the crowd, Tikait once again objected to the three laws and said farmers will be ruined: “Godowns will be created the same way barricades are being set up on all four sides of Delhi… the government should support farmers, take back the three laws and guarantee MSP. We will only go back home when the bills have been taken back.”

“It is our goal to have 40 lakh tractors associated with the movement. We are fighting for the freedom of the entire country. However, even when the rest of the country is free, the people of Gujarat will still be imprisoned. If farmers from Gujarat try to join the protests, the government arrests them. We will go to Gujarat and fight for the people of Gujarat. We will hold meetings in different parts of the country and involve farmers from other states,” he said, shouting “hal chalane waala, haath nahi jodega”.

The slogan was echoed by the audience, many of whom lined up to take photos with Tikait before and after the speech.

Yudhvir Singh, BKU general secretary, said farmers will march to Delhi and the date for this will be decided soon. The leaders thanked all those who attended the mahapanchayat, particularly the women, some of whom attended for the first time.

A group of 25 women from Sangrur in Punjab, who sat in front, said they came in two tractors from their villages. Paramjeet Singh (60) said, “We came here once on January 26. Now, we will keep coming to the borders and might also join the protests at Tikri.”

Also among the speakers was Amrit Gill (35), a designer from Bhatinda who comes from a farming background. She said, “Farmers from Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur are against the bills. The government did not suddenly make these bills one day… it took planning and calculation. This is why I spoke about the three bills in my speech today. I came here to show my solidarity.”

The event ended with a langar organised by the khap panchayat.