Rakesh Tikait reaches out to Dalit farm hands

‘Without their support, protest would not be complete’

Reaching out to Dalit labour in farms, Rakesh Tikait, national spokesperson of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, said on Tuesday that farmers should take care of Dalit labour that works in their fields. “Whoever works in the field is a Dalit. Without their support, your protest would neither be complete nor meaningful,” said Mr. Tikait while addressing a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in the Hafizpur area of Hapur that has a significant Dalit and Muslim population. He appealed to farmers to worship sage Valmiki. “Every rural household should have a photo or idol of the age. It is the community that makes your households worth living,” he asserted, giving the slogan of Jai Bhim, Jai Ram. Talking of social alliances, Mr. Tikait said the place has a significant Muslim population too. “First, this government declared Muslim outsiders and termed them Pakistani. When Sikh farmers protested, they were dubbed as Khalistani… We have to overcome these divisive forces,” he said. “I appeal to farmers if there is a protest in another part of the country on issues that concern you, you should respond by holding a protest here. We need to build a pan Indian alliance,” he said.