Farm politics intensifies in west U.P. over India

With India and the United States weeks away from finalising the trade deal, farm politics is again intensifying in western Uttar Pradesh. The Tikait faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has sought clarity on the impact of the deal on Indian farmers. Having seen the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s U-turn on farm laws, khaps in the region are discussing the direct and indirect impact of the deal. Rakesh Tikait, BKU spokesperson, has described the deal as a unilateral U.S. declaration and threatened agitation. A panchayat scheduled for Sunday on this issue has been put on hold in view of Prime Minister Nardenra Modi’s visit to Meerut to inaugurate the final leg of the Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor.

Earlier this week, the BKU leadership took on Rashtriya Lok Dal president and Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary for supporting the deal. Speaking to mediapersons at the BKU headquarters in Sisauli, Muzaffarnagar, president Naresh Tikait described Mr. Chaudhary as a “local confectioner’s wasp”. Speaking in Hindi, he said, “Halwai ka tataiyaa halwai ko nahin kat sakta. Woh mithai par baith rahta hai (The confectioner’s wasp doesn’t sting the confectioner. It sits on the sweets).”

The statement caused a flutter in West U.P. as RLD was seen as the political force behind the BKU during the agitation against the farm laws. Responding to the jibe, Mr. Chaudhary posted on X that he would like to tell that he “was not fond of sweets”.

This month, Mr. Chaudhary has held two meetings in Hathras and Bulandshahr, where he described the deal as beneficial to farmers. The Union Minister argued that Indian farmers were superior to those in the U.S. and that the agreement would not result in a flood of foreign wheat, sugar, or rice, thus protecting local farmers from losses.

In an attempt to douse the fire, Mr. Naresh’s brother Rakesh Tikait posted a video in which he said RLD and BKU were together and held the media responsible for the confusion. He said by saying that he was not fond of sweets, Mr. Chaudhary had clarified that he was not bound by the government’s point of view and would hit the ground for the farmers’ cause if the need arises. “The media should ask him questions about the deal when he [Chaudhary] becomes the Agriculture Minister,” he said, paving the way for a new set of speculations.

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Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Rakesh said the Centre couldn’t match the U.S. in terms of subsidies given to the farmers and, hence, they wanted the Prime Minister to address their concerns.

RLD sources said Mr. Rakesh’s concerns were unfounded. “It seems he is speaking at the behest of the Leftist farmer outfits because the farmer groups in Punjab and Haryana have not protested against the deal, which has proved beneficial for farmers of basmati rice,” said a leader.