Sending fresh threats to the government that the protesting farmers would block the border between Delhi and its satellite town of Noida in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Rakesh Tikait, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader on Tuesday stated that, “Yes, we will block the Delhi-Noida border. The committee is yet to decide the date.”
Tikait and his supporters have been camping at the Delhi-UP Ghazipur border since the early days of the agitation. With the committee, Tikait means the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of more than 40 farmers’ unions, which is spearheading the protests against the three laws on several borders of Delhi since November 26 last year.
Farmers belonging to Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) vacated the Delhi-Noida Chilla border on January 27, after blocking it for 58 days, in the wake of clashes between Delhi police and a section of farmers that occurred in the National Capital during farmers tractor rally on Republic Day.
Tikait has been repeatedly sending warnings to the centre that ‘lakhs of tractors will enter Delhi’ and gherao Parliament till a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) is given and the three laws are repealed. He has also given an ultimatum to the government until October.