Sonipat: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait took a dig Monday at Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s remark. The minister had said that mere gathering of crowd does not lead to revocation of laws. Rakesh Tikait however, said when people gather governments get changed and then laws change automatically.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader has held a series of ‘kisan mahapanchayats’ in Haryana this month. Tikait also warned that the government could find it difficult to stay in power if the new farm laws are not repealed.
The farmers’ stir against the laws will continue till the time the Centre accepts their demands of repealing the legislations, Tikait said.
Union Agriculture Minister Tomar had in Gwalior said the Centre was ready to talk to the farmers protesting against the new laws. However, the mere gathering of crowd does not lead to revocation of legislations. He had urged the agitating farm unions to tell the government which provisions in these new laws they find anti-farmer.
Hitting back at Tomar for his remark, Tikait said, “The minister says that mere gathering of crowd does not lead to revocation of legislations. They have lost their mind. When crowds gather governments get changed,” he told the farmers’ gathering.
Farmers, mostly from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, have been rotesting at Delhi’s borders since November 28 last year. They are demanding rollback of the laws.
“They (the government) should know if farmers can destroy their own produce, then you are nothing before them,” Tikait warned. “There are many questions, it is not only the farm laws, but the electricity (amendment) bill, the seed bill… what kind of laws do they want to bring?” he asked and slammed the government for rise in prices of diesel and petrol.
Tikait said that this agitation is not just of farmers, but also of the poor, daily wagers and other sections. “These laws will destroy the poor. This is not just one law, many more laws like these will come,” he said.