Tears, joy as Rakesh Tikait leads hordes of supporters back home after 383 days

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
Ghazipur/Muzaffarnagar, December 15

Celebratory chants rent the air at the UP-Delhi border in Ghazipur this morning as BKU leader Rakesh Tikait led hordes of supporters back home after 383 days of protests at the site.

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All but one farmer, Gandharva Singh (90) from Etawah, joined Tikait’s victory procession that moved from Ghazipur to Soram, the headquarters of western UP’s khap panchayats, ending in Tikait’s native village Sisauli in Muzaffarnagar late in the evening.

“Farmers’ movement has shown that fighting the government is not equal to fighting against the nation. In fact, it is just the opposite… will keep striving to realise the rights of farmers,” said Tikait, halting at several locations during the road journey to accept greetings from indebted farmers.

While some presented Tikait with plaques of honour, others showered petals, catapulting the Jat leader into a formidable force no party in UP can ignore.

Tikait’s message, as he left Ghazipur border after a “havan”, was of unity, resilience and apolitical nature of the farm movement. The presence of common citizens at Tikait’s farewell showed he had struck a chord.

But Gandharva Singh, 90, was too nostalgic to return. He sat near the “havan kund”, his mood pensive. “My family is leaving. I feel distraught. I don’t want to return,” he told this correspondent, his son Devendra Dev standing beside him. Ghazipur resident Manisha Choudhary distributed sweets. She was among the many locals who visited the protesters and fetched them essential supplies. “We will miss the farmers a lot,” said Manisha as farmers left Ghazipur, dancing and singing patriotic songs.

90-yr-old refuses to return home

• All but one, Gandharva Singh (90) from Etawah, joined Tikait in his victory procession
• Too nostalgic to return home, he sat near the “havan kund”, his mood pensive
• ‘My family is leaving. I feel distraught. I don’t want to return,’ he said, his son Devendra Dev standing beside him