Union minister Ajay Mishra calls Rakesh Tikait ‘worthless’, farmers ‘dogs’

Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra has described farmer leader Rakesh Tikait as “worthless” and referred to protesting farmers as “dogs”.

Mishra’s son is in prison over allegations of running over farmers last year. The Union minister’s son, Ashish Mishra is an accused in the violence that left eight people, including four farmers, dead at Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh in 2021.

Also read: HC’s rationale for granting bail to minister’s son in Lakhimpur Kheri murders

In a video, Mishra, while addressing his supporters, calls Tikait “do kaudi ka aadmi (worthless)”.

Responding to the minister’s remarks, Tikait said, “His son is in jail for a year, that is why he is angry.”

“The media, the so-called farmers, the non-nationalistic political parties or terrorists sitting in Canada or Pakistan, I would never have imagined you would make me popular with them too. This is your strength. Because of you these people cannot figure out how to defeat me. The elephant keeps moving on its path, dogs keep barking,” Mishra said in the video, according to an NDTV report.

Also read: Lakhimpur Kheri a ‘planned conspiracy’ to kill farmers, say cops

“Suppose I am travelling to Lucknow in a car and it’s going at a good speed. Dogs bark. They bark on the roadside or chase the car. It’s their nature. I will not say anything about that. We do not have this nature. Things will reveal themselves and I will respond to everyone. I am very confident because of your support,” he added.

Further, he said, “No one in the world will be able to disappoint you. No matter how many Rakesh Tikaits come – I know him very well, ‘do kaudi ka aadmi hai’, he fought two elections and lost his deposit (lost badly). If such a person protests, I do not respond. If his politics survives because of this, let it. I have never done anything wrong in my life.”

Mishra’s remarks came after farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Thursday (August 18) began a three-day protest, demanding the sacking of him over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

Also read: Weapon seized from Union ministers son was fired, confirms FSL report

The protesters, who included farmers from Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu as well, also demanded a law on minimum support price (MSP) for their crops and withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

Bhartiya Kisan Union-Tikait and other constituents of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) gave the call for the 75-hour-long sit-in from August 18 to 20 to seek “justice” in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

The Lakhimpur agitation was primarily to press for the dismissal of Mishra from the Union Cabinet, Tikait said.

Also read: Govt keeping country in dark, does not want to form committee on MSP: Rakesh Tikait

Also read: Rakesh Tikait detained by Delhi Police ahead of protest at Jantar Mantar

(With Agency inputs)