New Delhi: Rakesh Tikait, a big face of the Farmers’ protest that started in 2020, has been ousted by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Sunday. He was serving as the spokesperson of the union. Notably, his brother Naresh Tikait was also removed from the union as its National President.
It is reported that the duo is removed for ”playing politics’ and ‘working in the interests of a political party.’
Soon after the removal of Naresh Tikait as the National President, the organisation appointed farmer leader Rajesh Singh Chauhan as the new chief of BKU. Chauhan is said to be apolitical.
After taking responsibility as the chief, Chauhan said, ”Rakesh Tikait and Naresh Tikait will be the leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) but we have decided to form a separate union that will be ‘Bharatiya Kisan Union Non-political.”
Uttar Pradesh | Rakesh Tikait and Naresh Tikait will be the leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) but we have decided to form a separate union that will be ‘Bharatiya Kisan Union Non-political’: Rajesh Singh Chauhan, national vice president BKU pic.twitter.com/7aQtiOdf8m
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 15, 2022
He also said that they had a difference of opinion for the past nine months over the ideology.
For the last eight to nine months, we had a difference of opinion, due to which we explained to them many times and our ideological difference was the reason for this: Rajesh Singh Chauhan, national vice president, BKU (non-political) on the formation of BKU (non-political) pic.twitter.com/mcj9qIMJoG
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 15, 2022
He added we want to work for the betterment of the farmer. Our vision is only to expand the organisation across the country. In this regard, we will hold a press conference in Delhi in a few days.
We wanted to go without any platform which is political and work in the interest of the farmer. We changed our path and will expand this organization from state to country level, after a few days we will hold a press conference in Delhi: Rajesh Singh Chauhan pic.twitter.com/oVGhkwINyp
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 15, 2022
Notably, the development came just a day after Chauhan addressed a press conference and said Tikaits were trying to turn the organisation into a ‘political zone’ wheras it was built to uphold the interest of the farmers