Tikait (76), who was president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, had been suffering from bone cancer since last year and breathed his last at the residence of his son and BKU general secretary Rakesh Tikait in Muzaffarnagar, family sources said
The magnificent Jat community has taken his tears to its heart, observes Sudhir Bisht. In Tikait, they see their late leader's son, the son of their doughty farm leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, says Dr Sudhir Bisht.
Tikait's tears galvanised people, as on Saturday a large number of farmers and other supporters came to the protest site at the Delhi-UP border from not just his home state of Uttar Pradesh but from Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand as well to show solidarity with the movement.
'Now the very government we helped to form is telling us we are enemies of the nation!' The BKU has stayed away from direct participation in politics. But this time they are not so sure, reports Aditi Phadnis.
The body of farmer leader and Bharatiya Kisan Union chief Mahendra Singh Tikait, who died after prolonged battle with bone cancer, was on Monday cremated at his birth place Sisauli in Muzaffarnagar.
The Khap Council heads in this meeting, that began on Saturday in Soran village, opposed same gotra marriages and said such relations "will not be tolerated by the caste councils".
Contrary to popular belief that he would infuse new life into the agitation of farmers, demanding higher compensation in lieu of their land acquired for building the Noida-Agra Yamuna Expressway, the arrival of Bharatiya Kisan Union supremo Mahendra Singh Tikait in Aligarh has failed to make any impact on the gradually waning demonstration.
The farmers of Aligarh, Mathura and Agra have formed a joint action committee to continue their agitation to seek an enhancement in the compensation given to them for the land acquired by the Mayawati government to build the 165-km long Noida - Agra Yamuna Expressway.They also reportedly decided to hand over the leadership of the agitation to powerful Bhartiya Kisan Union chief Mahendra Singh Tikait. The committee has already extended an invitation to Tikait.
BKU leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, accused of making casteist remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, was granted bail after he surrendered in the district court in Bijnore. Tikait, whose arrest attempt by police had sparked violence in Sisauli, the headquarters of the BKU on Monday, later regretted his comments and said it was a slip of tongue.
Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state for the recent leak of a government competitive examination question paper and subsequent cancellation of the test, Chaudhary said because of such incidents youngsters are not getting appointments, and they have to migrate and work in other places.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has decided to summon BKU leader Mahendra Singh Tikait for allegedly making casteist remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati at a rally in Bijnore district on March 30. The Commission had issued a notice to the BKU leader on the basis of the FIR report as the district administration failed to provide the full text of Tikait's speech.
The spectre of a bloody showdown between Uttar Pradesh police and supporters of farmers leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, holed up at a village near Muzaffarnagar, loomed large on Tuesday night as he refused to surrender for allegedly making casteist remarks against Chief Minister Mayawati. The state government amassed around 10,000 policemen and paramilitary personnel around Sisoli village where Tikait is holed up along with an estimated 4,000 activists of the BKU.
Over 1.60 crore voters, including 75 lakh women, will decide the fate of 881 candidates in this phase.
Singh said the welfare of the farmers was topmost on the government's plans. Takait submitted a memorandum, listing out their problems
The BJP on Wednesday came out in support of farmers' leader Mahendra Singh Tikait making a strong plea for withdrawal of cases against him. Party chief Rajnath Singh attacked the Mayawati government for "harassing" Tikait, who was arrested earlier in the day for his alleged castiest remarks against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Mahendra Singh Tikait's elder son Rakesh Tikait has been taken into custody and moved to an undisclosed location, party sources claimed on Tuesday, a day after large-scale clashes took place between his party's supporters and the police. The party sources claimed that he was arrested at the Guest House and taken to some undisclosed location. However, there was no word from the police on Rakesh Tikait's arrest.
For many years now, the Congress and its allies have not had any noteworthy representation from the area. The loan-waiver package may not improve things in the next general elections in 2009, Business Standard found out in an extensive tour of the area. Most farmers said they did not find it worthwhile to go to a bank for loan because the process was too cumbersome.
Yadav denied any possibility for a post-poll alliance between the BJP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal's Jayant Choudhary.
Tens of thousands of farmers gathered in Muzaffarnagar town on Friday to attend a mahapanchayat in support of the Bharatiya Kisan Union-led protest against the Centre's new farm laws in Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.
Kisan Mazdoor Sangh (KMS) and Kisan Sena (KS) made a representation, which also included a demand for strengthening the dispute resolution system in case of any trouble in contract farming.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday asked the Centre to explain to farmers why it does not want to repeal the three farm laws, while promising it that they 'will not let the government bow its head' before the world.
A confrontation was building up at the UP Gate in Ghazipur bordering Delhi with heavy security deployed while frequent power cuts were witnessed in the evening at the protest site, where Bharatiya Kisan Union members, led by Tikait, are staying put since November 28.
Tikait has been at loggerheads with various governments on a range of farmers' issues, including loan waivers, minimum support price, power tariff and land acquisition in states such as UP, Haryana Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh.
'They wil show the whole world see how this government is treating its farmers.'
Wearing garlands, the farmer leaders, who had called for observing 'Sadbhavana Diwas' (Harmony Day) on Saturday after the immense outrage over violence by protesters during their Republic Day tractor rally, sat on the dais during the fast, as crowds of supporters swelled, especially in Gazipur where the Bharatiya Kisan Union is leading the protest.
The farmers entered the national capital riding their tractors and trolleys and proceeded towards Kisan Ghat where heavy police deployment has been made.
'Jignesh Mevani has many strengths: Youth, articulation, fearlessness, proficiency with social media, political and ideological flexibility.' 'Also focus, as in targeting the BJP as the one and only enemy for now and using that justification to align with the rest,' says Shekhar Gupta.
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