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Bengal

Tikait's message to people of Bengal: 'Do not vote for BJP'

Tikaits message to people of Bengal: Do not vote for BJP
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Kolkata: Holding a Mahapanchayat at Nandigram where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was allegedly attacked, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday urged people not to cast a single vote in favour of the BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls in Bengal as the Centre is going to introduce another 40 contentious bills to "take away rights of people involved in agriculture and its allied sectors".

Alleging that the BJP-led government at the Centre is intent on breaking the backbone of the farmers and their movement, Tikait said it is 'anti-people'.

"This is my message to the people of Bengal. Don't vote for BJP. If voted to power they will give away your land to big corporates and industries and make you landless. They will hand over the country to big industrialist groups putting your livelihood at stake and in danger," he said.

Calling the BJP 'a party of cheats' which hides its sympathy for the rich, Tikait said: "We will be on the side of those who oppose BJP, those who will stand by the farmers and the poor."

"The fight will continue till the three farm laws get repealed. But they are going to bring another 40 anti-people Bills that will lead to doom of the country," he said while addressing a mammoth rally at Nandigram that now gained national significance with Banerjee contesting from here as a Trinamool Congress candidate.

He also took a dig at Suvendu Adhikari without naming him for leaving the party that gave him so much recognition.

Tikait, who has been leading a massive farmers' protest against the three Central agriculture laws at the Delhi-UP border, was received by Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen and the party's Durgapur Purba's candidate Pradip Majumdar at the airport. He held a rally at Mayo Road in Kolkata before leaving for Nandigram.

Shouting this election's most popular 'khela hobe', Tikait put forward a series of instances as an attempt to "unmask the BJP government at the Centre" saying that "digital India is Modiji's dream project. Then why farmers are not linked with banks for direct transfer of benefit before they reach the house after selling their agricultural produce at a fixed Minimum Support Price".

"This government cannot solve an impasse despite 5 lakh farmers demonstrating around Delhi for the past 110 days with 300 being martyred. We have come to Bengal only with one motto. We request people to defeat the BJP. Do not cast a single vote in their favour. You can vote for any right party of your choice but not BJP," he said.

He further added that the BJP-led Centre "has sold out everything starting from Railways to telecom and now handing over the agricultural sector to monopolists".

"Major companies are coming to operate the pisciculture sector as well. Dairy farmers will also face restrictions in selling milk following the traditional method. At least 4.5 lakh railway employees will lose their jobs in 2022 and 4.5 crore people will run jobless as weekly markets will not be allowed to set up. Major companies will get into long-term agreement with farmers and their lands will be taken away where heavy chemicals will be used. As a result, the land will turn fallow after 50 to 60 years. Where does India's agriculture sector stand at that time?" he said.

Tikait is also expected to visit Singur, one of the epicentres of anti-farm land acquisition agitation in 2006-07.

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