After the Modi government took back the farm bills, the farmer organisations that were protesting against the bills are now looking for other excuses to keep their protests running. As a part of the same, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has called for a nationwide movement against the privatisation of nationalised banks. He asked the citizens to see the result on December 6 when the bill is scheduled to be tabled in the parliament to privatise public sector banks. In a tweet yesterday, he said when the protests against the farm laws began, he had announced that the next would be banks. He claimed ‘there is a need of a common movement against the privatisation across the country’.
हमने आंदोलन की शुरुआत में आगाह किया था कि अगला नंबर बैंकों का होगा। नतीजा देखिए, 6 दिसंबर को संसद में सरकारी बैंकों के निजीकरण का बिल पेश होने जा रहा है। निजीकरण के खिलाफ देशभर में साझा आंदोलन की जरूरत है । #StopPrivatization
— Rakesh Tikait (@RakeshTikaitBKU) December 4, 2021
The farmer organisations had already said that they will not withdraw the protests even after the three laws were withdrawn. They had said they will continue the protests and the highway blockades over demands like a law on MSP etc.
Farmer Union announced a five-member committee over MSP
Samyukt Kisan Morcha has named five members for a committee to discuss issues like MSP, the Electricity Amendment Bill, and the Lakhimpur Kheri case etc. with the government. The members are Dhawale, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, Shiv Kumar Kaka, Yudhvir Singh, and Balbir Singh Rawal.
Compensation for alleged deceased farmers
Tikait, in a statement to ANI, said that the discussion about MSP has just started and it would take time to reach a conclusion. “We won’t develop any strategies today, we will only discuss how the agitation should move forward.” He further added the talks between farmer leaders and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar were inconclusive. “Like Punjab, we need state-wise compensation for deaths of farmers and employment,” Tikait said.
The baseless urge to continue protests
Even though the three Agriculture Laws have already been repealed by the government, the farmer unions led by leaders like Rakesh Tikait are not ready to take back the protests. At one point, Tikait had announced that the protests would continue till Lok Sabha elections 2024, and it seems he is looking for one reason after another to keep the protests alive. The protests that got hijacked by the Khalistanis and anti-India elements from the very beginning, have caused losses of over 60,000 crores and have been linked to murders, rapes and riots.
