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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to repeal the three contentious farm laws has somewhat softened prime opponent Bharatiya Kisan Union as it is yet to take a call on whether to oppose the saffron party in the upcoming assembly elections in UP.
On the sidelines of a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Lucknow on Monday, BKU chief Rakesh Tikait said that as of now, no decision has been taken of campaigning against the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections or in other state polls.
Earlier, the farmer leader had announced that the BKU would campaign against the BJP and even asked its volunteers to oppose BJP leaders in their constituencies, causing considerable consternations to the ruling party. A section of the BKU leaders had even proposed to contest the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
However, in the changed scenario, Tikait said: " We had campaigned against the BJP in Bengal Assembly elections but we have not decided about doing the same yet in Uttar Pradesh or in any other states. We are waiting to see which way the wind will blow. For us, it is a wait or watch situation so far,” he said.
The BKU boss further said that they were yet to be informed about the withdrawal of the three Farm laws by the Union government. "We got the information only through the media but have no communication in this regard from the government. I believe the Union Cabinet will pass a resolution in favour of repealing the Farm laws and then the government will ratify it in the Winter Session of the Parliament. It is a long process. Let’s see what the official take of the government is,” he said.
When asked whether the prime minister was forced to take the vital decision due to impending Assembly elections in UP and other states, Tikait said: “The BJP's agenda can be elections but for us it is the larger interests of the farmers. For us, elections are far away. Withdrawal of the Farm laws by the Prime Minister was delayed and his advisors should have advised him earlier."
The farmer leader, who led the agitation against the Farm laws and had been sitting on a dharna at Ghazipur border for the past one year, said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has failed to fulfill the promises. “The BJP government talked a lot but did not deliver. Let them come up with a commitment to the farmer's issue," he added.