Riots shadow on BKU’s protest

BKMM has given a separate call for locking sugar mill gates from December 1.

The split on communal lines is now visible during the BKU’s ongoing agitation demanding crushing at sugar mills at collectorate campus in Muzaffarnagar.

BKU’s agitation in the past were known for their harmony with bhajans and namaz being offered at the same spot.

First time after the communal riots in the region,BKU chief Naresh Tikait has given a call on Wednesday for laying siege to the collectorate in Muzaffarnagar demanding crushing at sugar mills. BKU workers,mainly Jat farmers,reached collectorate.

“We cannot go with them anymore. They did not play clean role during communal riots. Muslims in Sisauli,the village of Tikait,had to flee to save their lives. It would have never happened during Baba’s (Mahendra Singh Tikait) life,” Ghulam Mohmmad Jaula said. Ghulam was a close associate of Mahendra Singh Tikait and used to preside over most of his agitations. Ghulam has now founded BKMM.

“We have left BKU but will follow Baba’s principles. We are a Muslim-based organisation but are open to farmers from all sections. We will launch our parallel agitation and will have no truck with Naresh Tikait,” he said. Muslims are annoyed as Naresh Tikait is also Choudhary of Baliyan Khap among Jats,but failed to control violence.

Despite Tikait’s clan — sons Naresh and Rakesh and grandson Gaurav Tikait — trying to mobilise the Muslim farmers,the response remains poor . “There may be some people who are trying to divert the issue. They are being propped up by the Samajwadi Party. Even today we have Javed Tomar,our farmer leader from Shamli,who is presiding over the agitation. It is true that after the riots,there has been some acrimony which will take time to heal,” BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said.

Since its inception in 1987,Mahendra Singh Tikait ensured that farmers were not divided on religious and caste lines. His outfit gained strength and at Tikait’s call farmers would assemble in large numbers and even rocked the government at Lucknow and New Delhi.