Rakesh Tikait
Tikait in 2016
Born (1969-06-04) 4 June 1969 (age 54)
Sisauli, Uttar Pradesh, India
EducationMeerut University (MA, LLB)[1]
OccupationFarmer
OrganizationBharatiya Kisan Union
Spouse
Sunita Devi
​
(m. 1985)​
Children3
ParentMahendra Singh Tikait

Rakesh Tikait (born 4 June 1969) is an Indian farmer rights activist and national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU). He successfully led the farmer protests in 2020-2021 to cause repeal of three farmer laws implemented by the Indian government.

Personal life

Tikait was born on 4 June 1969 in Sisauli town of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. He is the son of a prominent farmer leader and BKU co-founder late Mahendra Singh Tikait.[2] His eldest brother is Naresh Tikait, who is the National President of the BKU.[2]

He upholds Gandhian ideology.[3]

Career

Tikait graduated with an M.A. degree from Meerut University and then did LLB after that. He joined Delhi Police in 1992, as constable then Sub Inspector,[4] but left Delhi police in 1993–1994. After leaving the police, he joined the BKU.[2] After the death of his father, Tikait officially joined BKU and later became its spokesperson.[2] In 2018, Tikait was the leader of Kisan Kranti Yatra from Haridwar, Uttrakhand to Delhi.[5] Tikait had contested the 2007 UP Assembly elections from the Khatauli seat as a candidate of the Bahujan Kisan Dal (BKD) party (with Congress support), only to finish a distant sixth.[6][7] In the 2014 Indian general election, he fought on a Rashtriya Lok Dal ticket from Amroha Lok Sabha constituency.[8]

2020-21 Farmers protest

In November 2020, his organization BKU joined the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest, demanding declaration of MSP as a legal right, exclusion of farmers from the law to curb pollution to allow burning of crops (consensus to which was reached during the sixth round of talks between the Centre and Farmer Union)[9] and removal of the farm bills."Our biggest concern is that operations in mandis and outside would be different. While mandis would levy taxes, there would be no tax or market fee outside. The government is not abolishing the Agricultural Produce Market Committees directly. However, the mandi system enables an assured minimum support price, which will collapse gradually" said Rakesh Tikait.[10] After violence broke out in the National Capital on 26 January (Republic Day), Delhi Police filed an FIR against Rakesh Tikait and a few other farmer leaders for their role in inciting violence on Republic Day and breach of the NOC issued by Delhi Police.[11]

On 19 November 2021, the government took the decision to repeal the bills. Both houses of Parliament successfully passed the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021 on 29 November.[12]

References

  1. ^ "राकेश टिकैत: मेरठ यूनिवर्सिटी से LLB, किसानों के लिए छोड़ी Delhi Police की नौकरी, 44 बार जा चुके हैं जेल" [Rakesh Tikait: LLB from Meerut University, left Delhi Police job for farmers, has gone to jail 44 times]. Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand (in Hindi). 28 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "जानिए कौन हैं राकेश टिकैत, जो किसानों की तरफ से सरकार से कर रहे बातचीत" [Find out who is Rakesh Tikait, who is talking to the government on behalf of farmers]. आज तक (in Hindi). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. ^ Mehrotra, Vani (2021-01-31). "Ideological fight with govt, will return home when new farm laws are repealed: Rakesh Tikait". India TV News.
  4. ^ "Did you know this? Rakesh Tikait, summoned for Delhi tractor rally violence, was once a Delhi Police officer!". zeenews. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Strong movements will help farmers, says Rakesh Tikait of BKU". The Statesman. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 2007 to the Legislative Assebly of Uttar Pradesh". Election Commission of India. p. 832. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Cong joins hands with Tikait". Indian Express. Express News Service. 26 March 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  8. ^ Harish Damodaran (30 January 2021). "A breakdown, and the rise of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait". Indian Express. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Farm Law Talks: Centre, Farmers Reach Consensus on Power Tariff, Stubble Burning". The Wire. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  10. ^ "The mandi system will eventually collapse: Rakesh Tikait on new farm laws". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  11. ^ Pushkar Tiwari, ed. (27 Jan 2021). "Yogendra Yadav, Darshan Pal, Rakesh Tikait, other leaders booked for violence during farmers' tractor march in Delhi". zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  12. ^ Prusty, Nigam (2021-11-29). "India's parliament passes bill to repeal controversial farm laws". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
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