Farmers' agitation will be extended to West Bengal: BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

Rakesh Tikit said that Bengal is near the sea and the farmers there involved in fish farming are a troubled lot, adding that imports are increasing there while many fishermen have lost their lives in Bengal. He said they are planning to go to West Bengal not because it is a poll-bound state, but to further spread awareness about the farmers` issue.

Image courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Thursday (February 18) said the farm movement would be extended to West Bengal in the coming days as farmers are not able to sell their crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP).

When asked if the farmers' agitation will be extended to West Bengal, Tikait told ANI, "Yes. Their crops are not being sold on MSP. We have got nothing to do with elections. We will talk to the farmers there."

Tikit reportedly said that Bengal is near the sea and the farmers there involved in fish farming are a troubled lot, adding that imports are increasing there while many fishermen have lost their lives in Bengal.

He said they are planning to go to West Bengal not because it is a poll-bound state, but to further spread awareness about the farmers` issue, according to IANS. Tikait said that a Mahapanchayat will be held in West Bengal in the coming days.

The `Rail Roko Andolan` would take place on Thursday from 12 pm to 4 pm across the country, he said, adding that people from their villages would be taking part in the `Rail Roko Andolan` today. 

The `Rail Roko Andolan` has been announced by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha. Tikait told IANS that the Centre was not permitting many trains to ply for the last eight months despite the fact that many other restrictions had been removed by the Centre. 

Meanwhile, fearing that the ongoing farmers` agitation will adversely affect the party in 40 Lok Sabha seats spread across Western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, the top BJP leadership has gone into a hurdle to find a way out to reach out to the Jat community predominant in these regions.

Anticipating that the Jats may drift away from the party, the BJP top leadership called a high-level meeting on Tuesday in which Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also present along with MPs, MLAs, and leaders from Western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeeb Balyan, a Jat leader from Western Uttar Pradesh, was also present in the meeting held at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

Amid the concerns and the party`s plan to reach out to the farmers, especially the Jats, Union minister Sanjeev Balyan has put up a brave face, saying there are no immediate polls and the party is thinking only about the farmers` concerns.

Notably, farmers from different states, particularly from Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting on the borders of the national capital for nearly three months now, demanding that the three Central farm laws are repealed and legal guarantee for MSP on their produce be ensured.