Release Our Men And Prepare A Platform For Talks: Farmer Leaders On Sunday To Govt

Farm leaders on Sunday continued their agitation against the three new farm laws asserting that their movement has been a victim of a conspiracy. Farm leaders Rakesh Tikait and his brother Naresh Tikait are now leading the front from Ghazipur border which seems to have become the epicentre of the protests post-Republic Day violence. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast referred to the Red Fort incident, saying the country was much pained at seeing the dishonour to the tricolour on Republic Day. Farmer leader Naresh Tikait on Sunday said that protesting farmers will honour the dignity of the Prime Minister, but are also committed to protecting their own self-respect. He said the government should “release our men and prepare an environment conducive for talks”. “A respectable solution should be reached. We will never agree to anything under pressure,” he said at the Ghazipur border between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. “We will honour and respect the dignity of the Prime Minister. Farmers don’t want that the government or Parliament bows down to them,” Naresh said. Naresh said, “The violence on January 26 was part of a conspiracy. The tricolour is over and above everything. We will never let anyone disrespect it. It will not be tolerated,” he said. Naresh Tikait is the elder brother of Rakesh Tikait, the farmer leader who is the national spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU). Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the country was very pained at seeing the dishonour to the tricolour on Republic Day, referring to the religious flag incident at the Red Fort during the farmers’ tractor parade. In his monthly Mann ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi also said the government is committed to modernising agriculture and is taking many steps in this regard. The two-month movement against the Centre’s three farm laws was till now dominated by protesters from the fields of Punjab and Haryana who set up camp at the Singhu and Tikri border points. Now, the focus has shifted to Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border where farmers are gathering in thousands.