New Delhi: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday reiterated farmers’ demand for a law on MSP for crops along with the repeal of the three agri-marketing laws and said that business over hunger will not be allowed in the country.
“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),” Mr Tikait told media.
His comment came in reaction to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Rajya Sabha address today, wherein he has assured farmers that Minimum Support Price will last forever. “MSP tha, MSP hai aur MSP rahega (MSP was there, MSP is there, MSP will continue,” said Mr Modi while requesting farmer unions to call off the agitation which has been going on for the last 75 days.
The farmers’ protest leader further said that the price of crops will not be decided the way the rates of a flight ticket fluctuate several times a day. “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,” he said.
In response to Mr Modi’s statement on the emergence of a new community from the protest, Mr Tikait said, “This time it is the farmers’ community which has emerged and people are also supporting the farmers.”
“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 a big farmer. The movement belongs to all farmers,” he added.