Farmers not leaving protest sites near Delhi: Rakesh Tikait

Denying the claims that agitating farmers have left protest sites along the Delhi border, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said they had gone to the fields to work and would return when the Central government was “free from West Bengal elections”.

Tikait was speaking at a public meet in Palanpur of Banaskantha in Gujarat wherein, he had arrived to have a “conversation with farmers” on the newly introduced three agri laws.

He told the gathering that the Narendra Modi government’s new laws were enacted to help businessmen and not farmers.

“All reports that farmers have left the agitation sites are wrong. Farmers come and go. At present, they have gone to work in their fields. We have told them to come back once the government is free from Bengal elections. The entire government is camping in Bengal. Once the government returns, we will start negotiations with it,” PTI quoted Tikait as saying.

Former Gujarat chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela accompanied Tikait in his rally from Ambaji to Palanpur.

“How the people of Gujarat will join the protest, they have to decide. The youth will have to be part of protest. We will have to take on fear. If there is no agitation, then our lands will be snatched. The way the government has said that they will implement Gujarat model across the country and the manner in which Reliance was given 60 villages in the state, in the similar manner, lands of farmers across the country will be snatched. People of Gujarat want to win through court cases but even there the government will try to stall cases. So don’t wait for court judgements as your lands will be saved only through protests” said Tikait.