New Delhi: Bharatiya Kisan Union Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait along with farmers leaders during the ongoing protest against the new farm laws, at Ghazipur border in New Delhi, Tuesday, Feb. 02, 2021.
Amid the ongoing farmers' protest, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait is set to attend a farmers’ “mahapanchayat” in Haryana’s Jind district today. The mahapanchayat aims to gather support for the agitation against the Centre's new farm laws. Speaking to the media, Tikait on Wednesday said such panchayats will be held across the country until the government accepts the demands of farmers. Earlier, the BKU leader had said the farmers will organise a pan-country tractor rally of 40 lakh tractors if the government does not listen to them untill October.
Meanwhile, elaborate arrangements have been put in place at Jind’s Kandela village for the event, where several khap leaders are also expected to arrive, Sarv Jatiya Kandela Khap head Tekram Kandela said on Tuesday.
It will be a big gathering to muster support for the farmers’ agitation, Kandela said.
The Kandela khap, which had spearheaded a farmers' agitation in Haryana nearly two decades ago, has lent its support to farmers against the new farm laws.
Several other khaps too are backing the agitation.
Tekram Kandela said at Wednesday's event, issues including the demand to repeal the farm laws and a legal guarantee of the minimum support price will be taken up.
“The Centre should talk to farmers and immediately find a resolution as thousands of farmers have been holding the agitation for months now. The prime minister should himself talk to the farmers to find an early solution,” Kandela said.
Meanwhile, Haryana BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni reached Surewala Chowk in the Hisar district's Uklana and addressed a group of farmers, where he sought their support for the countrywide “chakka jam” called by farmer unions on February 6.
Farmer unions on Monday announced to block national and state highways for three hours in protest against the Internet ban in areas near their agitation sites and the alleged harassment meted out to them by the authorities.
Chaduni also criticised the government's move of parking buses to seal the main entry points, putting up multi-layer barricades and checkpoints at the Delhi's Ghazipur border, the new focal point of the farmers' agitation.
He said the farmers' agitation will continue till the time the government does not withdraw the farm laws.
In view of the ongoing farmers' protest against the Central agri laws, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) is also organising a "khap panchayat" in Mathura on Wednesday with the BKU chief Naresh Tikait as its chief guest.
BKU has appealed to all the farmers to join the khap panchayat today. The Mathura administration has increased security in view of the panchayat.
Security has been beefed up at Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri borders in view of the farmers' stir.
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
