Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 28: Jolted by the Republic Day violence in Delhi, the two-month long farmers’ agitation demanding repeal of the three contentious farm laws, is showing clear signs of petering out with differences cropping up among the farm leaders and more farmer unions leaving the protest sites on Thursday.
After two farm unions dissociated themselves from the agitation on Wednesday, two more the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) and the Kisan Mahapanchayat withdrew from the protests on Thursday. Differences have cropped up among the two leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), both brothers and taking advantage of the situation, the Uttar Pradesh police have asked the farmers to end the dharna in Ghaziabad by Friday.
Even as the police have asked farmers to vacate the protest sites, the BKU president Naresh Tikait has declared an end to the farmers’ protest at Ghazipur.
“The dharna at the Ghazipur (border) will end today,” he said in Muzaffarnagar. However, his brother and BKU spokesperson, Rakesh Tikait, said he will continue the sit-in protest at Ghazipur border.
A defiant Rakesh Tikait has refused to surrender to the police or to vacate the protest site. He also threatened that ‘more people will come from villages if needed’.
“No surrender. BJP wants to create a different scenario. Call details of those responsible for Red Fort incident should come. If needed, more people will come from villages” Tikait said.
“We’ll continue our sit-in protest and will not vacate site till talks with government are held. Administration has removed basic facilities including water and electricity supply. We’ll get water from our villages,” Rakesh Tikait said.
Farmers say that the UP Police have given them an ultimatum to clear Ghazipur protest site today. There is heavy deployment on ground at the moment but no action so far. The Ghaziabad administration has given an ultimatum to protesting farmers to vacate U.P. Gate by January 28 midnight or else they would be removed, officials said.
He notice to vacate Ghaziabad came after local farmers in Baghpat decided to end their sit-in protest which they had launched since December 19.
