Questioning the government's intention, Tikait said that it has not taken any steps to resolve the issue of MSP, nor has there been any discussion with farm leaders on the issue. Also, cases registered against the farmers have not yet been withdrawn, while the farmers who died during the agitation have also not been compensated
Rakesh Tikait. File Pic
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, who was one of the main faces of the farmers' movement, said that the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) is pending for a long time, and it is time that the government takes an early decision on it.
ADVERTISEMENT
In an exclusive chat with IANS, Tikait said that a meeting of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) will be held on January 15 in which further strategy on MSP will be decided.
He said all political parties are hungry for votes and they don't care about the welfare of farmers. Questioning the government's intention, he said that it has not taken any steps to resolve the issue of MSP, nor has there been any discussion with farm leaders on the issue. Also, cases registered against the farmers have not yet been withdrawn, while the farmers who died during the agitation have also not been compensated.
Stressing that farmers' agitation has been unprecedented and is being discussed everywhere, he said farmers will take out tractor rallies in their own villages and will hoist the flag on the tractor.
"No decision has been taken on taking out a tractor rally in Delhi yet. Everything will be discussed in the January 15 meeting. Farmers are ready to fight for their rights," Tikait told IANS. He also ruled out contesting in the upcoming UP polls.
Asked which party farmers will support, Tikait said this will also be discussed in the meeting on January 15. "Our aim is not to take on the government, but to convey our message to them in the interest of farmers.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.