Bharat Jodo Yatra: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait will not participate in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. He said that there are people who follow different ideologies in his organization. In such a situation, he is not participating in the yatra but party workers are allowed to participate in it.
Lucknow
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has entered Uttar Pradesh. Wednesday is the second day of his visit but not a single leader of the opposition has joined him yet. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait was also invited to join the yatra. There was news that Tikait would join the Bharat Jodo Yatra but now he has refused to go there. He has clearly said that the workers of the Kisan Union can join the Bharat Jodo Yatra if they want, but the office bearers of the party will not participate in the yatra.
Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is passing through three districts of Uttar Pradesh Ghaziabad, Shamli and Baghpat. All three districts are those areas of western Uttar Pradesh, where Rakesh Tikait has considerable influence. This area was very active even during the farmer’s movement. In such a situation, Rakesh Tikait‘s participation in Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra would have been an important event, but on Wednesday Tikait clearly said that he is getting invitations but he will not participate in the yatra.
Workers discount
Not only this, Tikait said that no worker above the post of District President of Bhakiyu will go on Bharat Jodo Yatra. There is an exemption for the rest of the workers that they can join. When Rakesh Tikait was asked why he is not joining the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said that our organization is a non-political organization and there are people of many ideologies in our party. We are not going on the yatra, but there can be such a person in the party, who is also in the farmer’s organization and will also go on the yatra.
Tikait said that our movement is against the policies of the government. Congress also has government in many states. We are agitating against them in Chhattisgarh. He said that we want to talk to the Congress about their farmer policy. We will talk to Congress leaders in Haryana on 9th January.
Tickets were to welcome the journey!
The Congress had also invited Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Jayant Chowdhary among the opposition parties for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. All the leaders refused to join the yatra while giving best wishes to Rahul Gandhi. Before the yatra entered Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, it was being said that farmer leader Rakesh Tikait would welcome the yatra in Ghaziabad but he too did not appear in the yatra. They distanced themselves from the yatra by calling themselves a non-political organization.
Away from congress program
It is being said that Tikait is trying to avoid politicizing the farmer’s movement by joining this journey of Congress. He has also said that there is a Congress government in many states, where they are agitating against them. Even before this, before the UP elections, Tikait’s name was associated with Akhilesh Yadav and he might announce his support to the SP. However, Tikait did not openly side with the SP against the BJP.
Celebrities took part
Many celebrities like Kamal Haasan, Raghuram Rajan, Amol Palekar, Pooja Bhatt, Swara Bhaskar, Ramachandra Guha, Rohith Vemula’s mother took part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra that started from Kanyakumari. In Uttar Pradesh also it was expected that many important political and non-political personalities would participate in it, but so far there is no news of any such personality of UP participating in the yatra.
