Ghaziabad: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said Monday business over hunger will not be allowed in India. He once again demanded a law on minimum support price (MSP) for crops along with the repeal of new contentious agri-marketing laws. Rakesh Tikait also accused the prime minister of ‘confusing’ people over the issue of MSP. He said the farmers’ unions protesting the new laws are open to discussions with the government.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson’s comments came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address in the Rajya Sabha. In his speech Modi assured ‘MSP was there. MSP is there. MSP will remain in the future’.
“Desh mein bhook pe vyaapaar nahi hoga. Bhook kitni lagegi anaaj ki keemat utni hogi. Desh mein bhook se vyaapaar karne walon ko baahar nikaala jaaega (There will not be business over hunger in the country. If hunger goes up, price of crops will be decided accordingly. Those wanting business over hunger will be driven out of the country),” Tikait told reporters. “The way rates of a flight ticket fluctuate three to four times a day, the price of crops will not be decided the same way,” Tikait added.
Tikait also said the farmers never said there was no MSP for crops in India. However, they are demanding a law for it.
“Wo uljha rahe hain (The PM is confusing it). We never said there is no MSP. We have only demanded a law on MSP. If that is done then it will be helpful for farmers of India. At present, the businessmen are looting farmers by paying half the rates. This is what we have said,” pointed out Tikait.
Tikait said there is no problem if the Centre takes back the new laws and make a new one for MSP.
Tikait also trashed the allegations of the movement being ‘politically motivated’. “There is no politics-wale here,” Tikait said at the Ghazipur border . “Show me if they are here. Some politicians come and meet us but they are not getting stage or tent here,” he added. He also slammed the attempts to divide the ongoing movement of farmers on caste and religious lines.
“This movement was first portrayed as Punjab’s issue, then Sikhs’ then Jats, so on and so forth. The farmers of the country are united. There is no small farmer or big farmer. The movement belongs to all farmers,” asserted Tikait.
