We will turn govt offices into 'grain markets' if evicted forcibly, warns BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

The warning from the BKU leader came two days after the Delhi Police removed all the barricades from Tikri and Ghazipur borders for the smooth movement of traffic. However, the farmers called it a "move" to displace them.

New Delhi: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait has warned the Centre that the farmers agitating against the three central farm laws will turn the government offices into "grain markets" if they are forcibly evicted from the protest sites.

It may be noted that the farmers, under the aegis of Samyukta Kisan Morcha, have been agitating against the three contentious farm laws for the past 11 months.

The warning came two days after the Delhi Police removed all the barricades from Tikri and Ghazipur borders for the smooth movement of traffic. However, the farmers called it a "move" to displace them.

"If the farmers fail to sell their produce in mandis at a fair price, then, what better place to do so than the government offices?" Tikait said. 

The BKU leader demanded that the Centre engage in dialogue with them and repeal the farm laws. Earlier, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha had released a statement asserting that before opening all the roads, the Centre will have to open the avenues to fulfill their demands.

Whether the agitation continues or shift to the national capital is a collective decision to be taken at an appropriate time, he asserted. Though the Government and the agitating farmers have met 11 times on the negotiating table, the talks remained inconclusive.

The Supreme Court, in its ruling last week, had held that though the farmers have all the freedom to protest, they cannot "block" the roads causing inconvenience to the public.