The drama surrounding farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, head of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), came to an end after three days today. | |
| Tikait, accused of making casteist remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, surrendered to police this morning. A 100-member strong police force today laid siege to Sisauli village in Muzaffarnagar district of UP to get Tikait to surrender. He was later produced at a sessions court in Bijnore. |
| |
| While most political parties have distanced themselves from the remarks, the sugarcane farmer and his leadership of an important votebank in Uttar Pradesh have made almost all of them condemn the state government's actions. |
| |
| The BKU is a powerful union of farmers in western UP's sugar belt, and it was no surprise to see almost all Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MPs and MLAs in attendance in Sisauli today. The RLD, led by Ajit Singh, counts farmers of western UP as its support base and has demanded a separate state, Harit Pradesh, for them. |
| |
| The Mulayam Singh-led Samajwadi Party (SP), the RLD's erstwhile ally, also came out strongly against Mayawati. "It is a totally undemocratic move," said SP President Mulayam Singh. |
| |
| BJP President Rajnath Singh also condemned the arrest. "Mahendra Singh Tikait has already expressed regret over what he said and has also called Mayawati his daughter. What was the need to press for his arrest in this way?" said Singh. |
| |
| The BJP used this to set its agenda for farmers as it is a battle it thought it had lost after the central government announced the farm loan waiver in the Budget. "If the NDA is voted back to power, we promise that we will give agricultural credit at 4 per cent interest, with the first year of the loan being interest-free. |
| |
| Also, every person above 60 in an agricultural household will get old-age pension. We will also implement a comprehensive crop insurance scheme," he added. |
| |
|
| |
