Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait threatens government in 'mahapanchayat' at Haryana's Jind

Thousands of people assembled at Haryana's Jind on Wednesday (February 3) to attend a farmers' "mahapanchayat" to put pressure on the Centre to repeal three new farm laws which are at the heart of farmer protests outside Delhi for over 70 nows.

The gathering was addressed by Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, an influential Jat leader from Uttar Pradesh. During his speech, Tikait issued a stern warning to the Centre saying that it would not be easy for the government to remain in power if the new laws are not repealed.

"We have so far talked about 'bill wapsi' (repealing the farm laws). The government should listen carefully. What will you do if the youth call for 'gaddi wapsi' (removal from power)?" Tikait questioned.

It is to be noted that Tikait broke down in full public view on January 28 and it added a new energy in the farmer agitation after a backlash over the Republic Day tractor rally violence, when several farmers decided to break the police barricades and unleashed mayhem in Delhi.

In order to prevent a repeat of January 26 violence, Delhi police have barricaded the protest sites outside Delhi's borders with spikes, concertina wires and cement barriers on the roads. "When the king is scared, he secures the fortress," Tikait said.

Tikait is the son of legendary farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, who is still remembered as the man who single-handedly united thousands of farmers from Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country to start a protest against the Rajiv Gandhi government in the 90s.

But before he became a farmer leader, Rakesh Tikait worked as a Sub Inspector after joining the Delhi police in 1985.

Rakesh Tikait also tried his luck at mainstream politics but without much success. In the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Tikait contested from Khatauli assembly seat in Muzaffarnagar as an independent but he failed to script a victory. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Tikait once again tried to enter the mainstream politics and contested as a candidate of Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal from Amroha, but he even failed to save his deposit.