Ghaziabad: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, who has been leading the farmers' agitation, on Tuesday said that his outfit will not contest the upcoming state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh but would urge people not to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Tikait clarified that the farmers' agitation will always remain apolitical in nature and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has no plans to field its candidate in the elections rather it will focus on strengthening the movement. "Our organisation will not be contesting elections but would definitely urge people not to vote for BJP as the party has not paid any heed to our issues because of which we are on roads for the last eight months," he added.
Stating that he finds the path of agitation better than elections, the 52-year-old BKU leader said that the situation of farmers will improve by agitation and agitators and not by the elections. He also claimed that 60 per cent of the current MPs belong to the agricultural background but they don't raise issues of farmers in the House. After winning the elections, they just work on the party guidelines, he alleged.
To give impetus to the "Mission UP," Tikait said that the National Executive Council of BKU has decided to remove all the Mandal presidents, district presidents, women presidents in the state and a new executive council will be formed soon. "A new executive council will be formed soon where new faces, who can contribute in taking the agitation further, will be given chance. There were a few people who were not working up to the mark in the old team that is why the decision was taken to dissolve it," he added. When pointed out that he contested Lok Sabha elections in 2014, the BKU leader said, "I had just tried. Is taking a trial crime?"
It is worth mentioning here that the farmers have been protesting under the aegis of an umbrella organisation, the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha, since November 2020, seeking the withdrawal of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. They have also been demanding a new law to guarantee a minimum support price for crops. However, the Centre has described the laws as pro-farmer.
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