With government turning up the pressure on farmers to end their protest at the borders of Delhi as well as some farmers’ unions withdrawing from the protest, leaders of the movement are starting to differ on the future course of action.
Differences within the leadership of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), one of the farmer bodies in the protest, were out in the open on Thursday.
While on one hand BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait vehemently and emotionally declared that the protest at Ghazipur will continue, his brother BKU chief Naresh Tikait held that it should end.
Bhartiya Kisan union president Naresh Tikait during a panchayat said the protest at Ghazipur border would be called off. Meanwhile, Rakesh Tikait insists the protest will continue. pic.twitter.com/W15f1ZYG3Q-- Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) January 28, 2021
Rakesh Tikait told reporters at the UP gate in Ghazipur bordering Delhi that he would rather commit suicide than leave and end the protest against the farm laws, setting the stage for a confrontation with security personnel.
“I will commit suicide but won’t end protest until the farm bills are repealed,” said Rakesh Tikait, who is the national spokesperson of the BKU said at the Ghazipur border site.
He also started a fast at the protest site and said he would drink only water from his village.
“We want to court arrest peacefully. But it seems there is a plan to stir violence while protesters return. If there is any such plan, I will remain here. I will face the bullet,” Rakesh Tikait said.
"Will kill myself if these laws are not rolled back," says an emotional Rakesh Tikait, refuses to end his protest. @Ankit_Tyagi01 and @KumarKunalmedia report live from Ghazipur border.Watch #6PMPrime LIVE now #Farmers #FarmersProtest #TractorRally #GhazipurBorder pic.twitter.com/2N93ODJTpK
-- IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) January 28, 2021
Conversely, his brother Naresh Tikait told supporters, “Don’t be disappointed. Today the protest at Ghazipur will also get over. It’s better to vacate than getting beaten up police,” he told a gathering in Muzaffarnagar earlier in the day.
Naresh Tikait’s statement came after the Ghaziabad administration gave an ultimatum to the protesters at UP Gate to vacate the site by midnight.
Amid the confusion, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary posted on Twitter that his father and party chief Chaudhary Ajit Singh spoke to the Tikait brothers and convinced them to stay united.
BKU ,” , , ” – !
-- Jayant Chaudhary (@jayantrld) January 28, 2021
“Don’t worry, this is a question of life and death for farmers. We to become one and stay together,” Jayant quoted his father as saying.
Things took a turn later in the evening when an emotional outburst by brother Rakesh prompted Naresh Tikait to call a mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar on Friday to decide the next step.
Rakesh Tikait’s tears also prompted several followers to collect outside his house in UP’s Sisauli and chant slogans in his support.
Naresh Tikait is the chief of the Baliyan Khap Panchayat which is the biggest Jat body in western UP. The Tikait brothers have been instrumental in organising the farmers’ protest at the Ghazipur site at the Delhi-UP border where thousands of farmers from the BKU have been camping since November 28.