New Delhi: A clash took place between farmers protesting against the farm laws at the Ghazipur border for the past eight months and Bharatiya Janata Party workers who had arrived in the area on Wednesday, June 30.
Ghazipur is on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border. BJP workers were allegedly leading a welcome procession for party leader Amit Valmiki when a scuffle broke out between them and farmers on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
Both sides allegedly fought with sticks, PTI has reported. BJP workers have also alleged that the windshield of a car belonging to one of them was destroyed.
Bharat Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait told ANI that BJP workers had initiated the scuffle and that they had been visiting the protest site with flags for the past three days. “They want to start violence. Today they went to the stage where sloganeering happened and started pelting stones,” Tikait said.
The BKU itself has also tweeted that BJP workers had used the pretext of the welcome rally to shout “anti-movement slogans” at the farmers’ direction.
भाजपा के कार्यकर्ताओं ने आज गाजीपुर बॉर्डर पर फ्लाईवे केबीच मंच के पास भारी संख्या में इकट्ठे होकर किसी नेता के स्वागत के बहाने ढोल बजाकर आंदोलन विरोधी नारे लगाए।भाकियू कार्यकर्ताओं के मना करने लाठी डंडों से हमला किया। जिसमे किसान घायल हुए है।@ANI @PTI_News @AmarUjalaNews
— Bhartiya kisan Union (@OfficialBKU) June 30, 2021
Samyukta Kisan Morcha spokesperson Jagtar Singh Bajwa too claimed that farmers at the Ghazipur border had informed the district administration and government officials of the BJP workers near the protest site.
“They misbehaved with farmers and themselves damaged their vehicles as part of a conspiracy. This conspiracy of the government is not going to succeed because such tactics to end the farmers’ protest have been used in the past too,” Bajwa said.
“We are going to lodge a complaint with the police over today’s (Wednesday’s) incident, and if no action is taken, we shall plan our future strategy accordingly,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)