Days after suspending its 36-day protest over the NEET paper leak, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Dipka Baliyan attended a Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) conference at the Kedarnath Sahni Auditorium on Tuesday.
The event was attended by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait and other farmer leaders.
Not to forget, Rakesh Tikait was a prominent face of the 2021 Farmers’ Protests that led to the rolling back of the three farm laws introduced by the Modi government.
After taking the support of anti-BJP political parties like Samajwadi Party, Azad Samaj Party, and Aam Aadmi Party, the CJP is rallying support of farmer groups opposed to the Modi government.
CJP representatives Ashutosh Ranka and Dipka Baliyan said they joined the conference to thank farmer leaders who had supported the students’ protest.
The Jantar Mantar agitation ended with the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Although the protest has been suspended, the organisation has warned that it will restart nationwide demonstrations if police action against violent CJP protesters continues.
Speaking to The Tribune, Ranka said several farmer leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, stood with the students when the movement needed wider support. He said the discussions at the conference focused on bringing farmers, students and youth onto a common platform for future campaigns against the Modi government.
During his speech, Ranka said the CJP now wants to expand its movement beyond education-related issues. He urged students and farmers to work together and said, “We hope that our farmer brothers and the students and youth of this country will work together to surround the Modi government from all sides.”
Ranka also said his separate meeting with Tikait was positive and could help shape future joint campaigns. Tikait had visited the Jantar Mantar protest on multiple occasions and publicly supported the students’ demands. The latest meeting signals that the CJP is attempting to widen its anti-BJP campaign by exploiting education, agriculture and youth issues.
Tikait’s past role in Farm Protests
Rakesh Tikait is the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and was one of the prominent faces of the farmers’ protests against the three farm laws between 2020 and 2021. Many farmers view him as an influential farm leader, but he is a politically motivated activist rather than an apolitical representative of farmers.
His role during the Republic Day tractor rally in New Delhi on 26th January, 2021, has remained a subject of political debate. Tikait was the one who helped create an atmosphere that led to unrest during the protest, which turned violent and saw protesters enter the Red Fort, where a religious flag was raised. The violence was a part of the farmers’ planned protest.
