Farmers to continue protest till demands are met; decision today on site shift
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Farmers attend a "mahapanchayat" under the Mahamaya flyover, in Gautam Buddha Nagar, on Wednesday | PTI

Farmers to continue protest till demands are met; decision today on site shift

Rakesh Tikait says farmers protesting across Uttar Pradesh would fully comply with the decisions taken by the “kisan panchayat” in Gautam Buddh Nagar


Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, who was detained at Tappal police station in Aligarh early on Wednesday (December 4) before being released in the evening, said the farmers protesting across Uttar Pradesh would fully comply with the decisions taken by the “kisan panchayat” in Gautam Buddh Nagar.

The Bhartiya Kisan Union-Tikait (BKU-Tikait) leader also said the farmers detained at more than 50 police stations across the state had been advised to hold local panchayats. “We will honour all decisions made at these panchayats,” he added.

“Resolution must come from UP government”

Tikait said farmer leaders were considering the possibility of heading to Lucknow with their tractors. “The issues we are facing are with the Uttar Pradesh government and it is there the resolution must come from.” The farmers are prepared for a prolonged struggle, he added.

Rakesh Tikait, who was detained with more than a dozen supporters at Tappal police station, said upon his release, “I will ask them to end their protests for now and await the decision of the ongoing Gautam Buddh Nagar kisan panchayat.”

Also read: Uttar Pradesh: More than 160 protesting farmers arrested in Noida

He also said that he would attempt to contact the panchayat leaders to discuss the next steps.

Rakesh Tikait was detained on Wednesday while on his way to Greater Noida to participate in a meeting of farmer leaders, a police official said. A police spokesperson said he had been “detained” but “not arrested”.

Protest to continue till all demands met

The agitating farmers’ groups met at the “zero point” on the Yamuna Expressway on Wednesday and claimed their protest had forced the Uttar Pradesh government to release all the protesters arrested a day earlier from their dharna site on the Delhi-Noida border.

After being released, the farmers joined the “kisan mahapanchayat” at the “zero point” where it was decided to continue the protest till their demands were met. A decision will be taken on Thursday on shifting the site of protest, farmer leaders said.

“Zero point” refers to a location at the convergence point of the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and the Yamuna Expressway in Gautam Buddh Nagar district’s Greater Noida city.

Also read: Farmers protesting against UP government gather near Delhi border

SKM congratulates farmers

BKU-Tikait leader Naresh Tikait, who set off from Muzaffarnagar to participate in the mahapanchayat, was stopped at Bhaunwara Kala.

Rakesh Tikait was detained, and his son Gaurav Tikait addressed the mahapanchayat.

In a statement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) congratulated the farmers on conducting the mahapanchayat and said they forced the Yogi Adityanath government to release all 160 arrested farmers.

Why farmers are protesting

Farmers from Uttar Pradesh have been protesting against the administration and the local authorities, demanding compensation and other benefits for their land acquired by the state government in the past.

They started a “Delhi Chalo” march on Monday but were stopped by the police after which they sat on a dharna at the Dalit Prerna Sthal. However, the police cracked down on the protesters the following day.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar police on Tuesday arrested over a hundred protestors during the agitation. The women and the elderly arrested were released later in the day. Farmer leader Sunil Fauji said more than 160 farmers were arrested on Tuesday.

After the farmers’ arrest, Rakesh Tikait had called the mahapanchayat.

Also watch: 'Delhi chalo' march brings traffic to standstill as farmers demand MSP and more

Call for “zero point” meet

“How long will you detain us? If you keep us locked, then with whom will you talk?” Rakesh Tikait remarked as he told reporters that the police were preventing farmers from going to Noida. He warned that if this approach continued, the farmers’ agitation would intensify.

The BKU-Tikait on Tuesday convened an emergency meeting in Muzaffarnagar under the leadership of Naresh Tikait and resolved to extend support to the farmers agitating in Noida and Greater Noida.

The BKU-Tikait had called on its workers and members from western Uttar Pradesh districts to gather at the “zero point” in Greater Noida on Wednesday.

A large number of farmers from Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, Hapur, Ghaziabad, Shamli, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Bijnor and Meerut had reached the panchayat venue.

“Victory of democracy over autocracy”

The SKM said the mahapanchayat decided to continue the dharna till all farmers’ demands were achieved.

“This is a victory of democracy over autocracy under the BJP-led Yogi Adityanath government. The collective and timely mass action in the form of mahapanchayat that displayed the collective strength and determination of the farmers of Uttar Pradesh is an inspiration to the people across the country,” it said.

It also slammed the Uttar Pradesh Police for “severely violating” the fundamental rights of Rakesh Tikait.

“The united farmers’ movement will take such authoritarian tendencies of the Yogi Adityanath government of UP with due seriousness and fight tooth and nail,” the SKM added.

(With agency inputs)

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