Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Rakesh Tikait met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at state secretariat Nabanna on Wednesday and sought her help to the continued farmers’ protest in opposition to the Centre’s three farm legal guidelines and their demand for authorized assure on Minimum Support Prices (MSP) on crops.
Since November 2000, 1000’s of farmers, primarily from Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been tenting at Delhi borders, demanding that the three farm legal guidelines be repealed.
The legal guidelines are Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Speaking to News18, Tikait mentioned, “I would like to thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for standing beside us in this movement. Today, I met her and during the meeting, she assured us of full support for our ongoing protests against the Centre’s three controversial farm laws.”
“We fear that the farm bills will deregulate the sale of farmers’ crops. Our fight is against the Centre’s attempt to dismantle the Minimum Support Price system. Mamata ji told us about her schemes for the farmers (Krishak Bandhu scheme) in West Bengal. We suggested to her that she should make Bengal a model state as far as farmers welfare is concerned. She also believes that the contentious three farm laws should be repealed.”
In 2018, Banerjee had launched the Krishak Bandhu scheme and a yr later, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi was launched in 2019.
As per Trinamool Congress manifesto, launched earlier than the 2021 meeting Polls, the Krishak Bandhu scheme gives farmers with a number of acres of landholding an annual quantity of Rs 10,000.
In December 2020, Banerjee spoke to the farmers’ leaders over cellphone and expressed her full help to them. She additionally despatched her occasion leaders, together with Derek O’Brien, to categorical solidarity with the farmers’ agitation.
Meanwhile, BJP chief and Director of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF) Dr Anirban Ganguly took a dig at Tikait assembly Banerjee, saying, “Is Rakesh Tikait not a Bahiragata??? Or does Non-MLA CM apply a different rule for him???”
Is Rakesh Tikait not a “Bahiragata”??? Or does “Non-MLA” CM apply a distinct rule for him???
— Dr. Anirban Ganguly (@anirbanganguly) June 9, 2021
Ganguly’s ‘bahiragata’ (outsiders) reference appears to be an try to take a swipe at Banerjee, who incessantly labelled BJP leaders as outsiders in the course of the 2021 meeting election marketing campaign.
