BKU leader Rakesh Tikait demands COVID-19 vaccination for protesting farmers

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said, "We demand that those who are protesting here should be given the COVID19 vaccine. I will also take the vaccine shot."

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New Delhi: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday (March 18) demanded COVID-19 vaccination for the farmers protesting at the Delhi borders against the three contentious farm laws. 

In an interaction with reporters, Tikait said, “We demand that those who are protesting here should be given the COVID19 vaccine. I will also take the vaccine shot.”

He also said that the farmers will not end protests because of coronavirus fear. He added that the farmers will increase the size of the tents at the protest sites in order to maintain social distancing. “This protest is for a cause and we will continue this till the laws are withdrawn," IANS quoted him as saying. 

The farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at the Delhi borders for more than 100 days now. The protest at the national capital borders commenced on November 26, 2020.

India is witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases again with Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu accounting for 79.54% of these new cases. As of March 18, India has 2,52,364 active coronavirus cases with 1,59,216 recorded deaths, Ministry of Health data showed. Meanwhile, more than 3 crore people have been vaccinated in the country during the vaccination drive so far.

Urging states to ensure zero vaccine wastage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, "Over 10% vaccine wastage in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Vaccine wastage in UP is almost the same. It should be reviewed in states that why vaccine wastage is happening. Monitoring must be done every evening and pro-active people should be contacted so that there's no wastage in every state."