As political parties vie for the support of the farming community in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Naresh Tikait, the head of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), speaks with Dheeraj Mishra at his Sisauli farm over the issues concerning the farmers. Excerpts:
Q: What do you make of this Lok Sabha election?
A: This has been a very dull election. There was a wave in 2014 when people stood in long queues and voted. 2019 was a mixed bag. But this time people have lost interest in governments. This is a very bad sign. One gets a chance to vote once in five years. It should have happened that people could use this strong tool to vent their anger, but people have become so disappointed that they feel that nothing will change, even if they vote for any candidate. If people are heard, then the vote percentage will increase.
Q: You would have read the election manifesto of Congress and BJP. Which one do you find is in favour of farmers?
A: There is nothing for farmers in BJP’s manifesto. Yes, there is definitely talk about giving maximum loans to farmers. So that the farmer is forced to sell their land (because of loans). The Congress has promised to make a law on MSP (minimum support prices), which is a good step. The Congress has done good work for farmers in the past also. The loan was waived during their tenure.
When Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister and farmers were protesting at the Boat Club in 1988, the government had to retreat. We protested against them a lot and talks continued. Manmohan Singh called Choudhary Saheb (Mahendra Singh Tikait, his father) and discussed and a solution was found. But this (BJP) government does not even talk. They have a dictatorial attitude. Prime Minister Modi promotes neem-coated urea but does not tell that the weight of each bag has been reduced by 10 kg.
Q: What about free ration, MSP, PM Kisan and other farmer schemes of the BJP government?
A: What is the need of PM Kisan? Farmers don’t need funds, they need facilities. Rs 6000 in a year, i.e. Rs 500 per month. Why are you giving us bheekh (alms)? The first thing is that you should respect farmers. They have worked very hard to maintain the economy of this country. Give us respect and speak like a good ruler.
What is MSP?
Our crops should be purchased at government rates, this is MSP. This has created such a storm as if farmers are draining the treasury of the country. The workers have become idle because of the free ration. Give them employment. You are buying them by giving them free ration.
Q: What about sugarcane payments being done on time?
A: They (the BJP government) are saying that they have paid sugarcane dues. There can’t be a worse joke than this… If we have grown sugarcane, will you not pay for it? What is the need to beat this trumpet?
Q: But there must be some scheme which you would have liked and are benefiting farmers?
A: One good thing this government has done is that farmers are getting electricity during the day. This is a good step. Roads are being built well. But the electricity rate is high. It should be reduced. When we are paying tax on diesel, road tax and everything related to vehicles, then why are you taking a toll? Is it not the responsibility of the government to provide facilities to its public? You should provide good public transport facilities. Many private vehicles are running on the road these days. So much fuel is being burnt, which is adding to the emissions leading to Climate Change. If the government wants income then it should run good roadways buses and railways.
Q: Which one of the candidates in your Lok Sabha constituency Muzaffarnagar is a better choice? What are the issues here?
A: I don’t think any candidate is able to solve the farmers’ issues properly. The Opposition is not in power, and the ruling party does not want to do anything. Whatever little is done, it is done by farmer organizations only. The farmers have big hearts, they understand their responsibility. We are not against any development, but compensation should be given properly. There should be uniform compensation.
You might think that the land in Connaught Place in Delhi is more important and hence expensive. You should understand that whatever land a farmer owns is his/her Connaught Place, who will compensate them then?
You have been a farmers’ leader for a long time. What do you think has changed between our villages and cities?
The village is always in some kind of struggle. It does not get relief. There is no future for the young generation here. There is an Agniveer scheme. What kind of scheme is this? Can there be a job even for four years? The labourer from the village has become a labourer in the city. This is a situation of forced migration. People have to do jobs for Rs 200-400.
We are not illiterate; we know what we do. These people do not allow our tractors to enter Delhi. Only top class vehicles can run in Delhi. Isn’t this an insult to us? Anyway, we have no intention of taking a tractor to the Capital. But even if we want to go, they do not allow us to enter. Is this not an insult to the farmers; an attack on our honour? The leaders only look at us from the point of view of votes.
Q: Your region faced major communal riots in 2013? What has changed since then?
A: We suffered a lot due to the riots. A few people were responsible for this. It should not have happened. I remember when we were 14-15 years old, we all used to see the Moon on Eid together. It did not matter who was Hindu or Muslim. At that time, whatever milk was there in my house, our mother used to send it to all the Muslim houses. I don’t know how this poison spread in our society that Muslims are anti-nationals. And its result was visible in 2013. People didn’t even know what this matter was. But now they have understood that this is just politics. Religion should be kept only till marriage. The welfare of the country lies in this only.
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