BJP reaches out to 'jats' in western UP, Sanjeev Balyan meets BKU president Naresh Tikait

Tribune News Service

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, January 17

A day after Naresh Tikait purportedly announced support to the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal combine in the upcoming Assembly polls, senior BJP leader and union minister Sanjeev Balyan on Monday visited the BKU president at his residence in Sisauli village in Muzaffarnagar, while his brother Rakesh Tikait said the key farmers' union has not extended support to any political party.

“We did not extend any support, people have made a mistake in understanding,” Rakesh Tikait said after a video of Naresh Tikait extending support to the SP-RLD emerged.

“If someone comes to your house, you do say ‘we are with you’. It does not mean that we are telling whom to vote for. We have decided that we (BKU) will not support anyone. Even if we are against the government, everyone (the people) knows what they have to do,” Rakesh Tikait said.

Interestingly, Rakesh Tikait also said that Yogi (Adityanath) must win elections from (Gorakhpur) "as we need strong opposition in the State".

Notably, in the very first ‘mahapanchayat’ in Muzaffarnagar during the farm laws' agitation, last year, Naresh Tikait said the “mistake” made by ‘jats and khaps’ in the 2019 by not supporting late RLD leader Ajit Singh will be rectified in 2022 Assembly elections.

In his last Lok Sabha elections from Muzaffarnagar, Ajit Singh lost by a narrow margin to Balyan.

He got 5,67,254 votes against Balyan’s 5,73,780.

The BKU, especially Rakesh Tikait, has played a key role in the year-long agitation against the now repealed farm laws.

According to Balyan, who belongs to the same ‘khap’ (Balyan) as Tikait brothers, it was a courtesy call.

“Naresh Tikait had undergone a medical procedure a few days ago. We are like a family…we keep meeting often…I came here to know about his health. He is recovering well. We had a good meeting,” the BJP’s Muzaffarnagar MP said.

A key part of the saffron strategy for poll-bound agrarian states Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand is to make amends with the politically significant and apparently still upset ‘jat’ community by reaching out to their leaders.

Though BJP leaders claim that all ‘khaps’ in Western UP will support the party like they had in the 2014 Lok Sabha, the 2017 Assembly and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “Jats are very happy with the governance of Chief Minister Yogi Aditayanth, they will not forget what happened in 2013 (Muzaffarnagar riots),” state BJP spokesperson Anila Singh said.

So far, both Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of farmer unions, and the BKU, have refrained from promoting any political party.

The SKM has also warned of launching ‘Mission UP’ (against the BJP) from February 1 if the centre failed to fulfil its promises, including formation of a committee on MSP and cancellation of police cases against protesters.

“We will observe January 31 as ‘Vishwasghat Diwas’ (betrayal day) and hold nationwide protests at block and district headquarters’ level,” the SKM has warned.

The SKM will also support the countrywide strike on January 23 and 24 called by central trade unions.

Rakesh Tikait is also scheduled to visit Lakhimpur Kheri on January 21 where he will meet the farmers and decide upon the future course of the agitation.

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