CJP's Ranka meets farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, hopes to see Modi govt 'surrounded'

In a bid to turn the prevailing mood of protest in the country into a social coalition, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has reached out to farmer leader Rakesh Tikait. The goal is to forge a front featuring students, youth and farmers.

CJP spokesperson Ashutish Ranka, one of the recently held protests against the Centre over NEET examination irregularities, met Tikait in New Delhi on Tuesday (July 28) and said that he hoped all groups would “surround” the Narendra Modi-led government from all directions.

Follow Parliament proceedings in wake of CJP protests here

The meeting also saw the presence of many other CJP leaders and those from the Bharatiya Kisan Union, a farmers’ organisation of which Tikait is the national spokesperson. Sources in the CJP said the talks were focused on a strategy to bring together the students and farmers on a common platform.

It may be mentioned here that Tikait, who played a key role in the farmers' collective resistance in 2020-21, which forced the Modi government to roll back three contentious farm laws, expressed solidarity with the CJP over its demand for the resignation of former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He also met activist Sonam Wangchuk, who carried out a 20-day hunger strike as part of the CJP’s protests at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, this month. Around 500 farmers accompanied him.

Farmer unrests

The Ranka-Tikait talks were also held when India was witnessing farmers expressing their ire in different parts. Last week, hundreds of farmers from various states, including Punjab and Haryana, planned to march to the National Capital to protest against the India-US Free Trade Agreement, which they felt would be detrimental to their interests. They were stopped by the police at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana.

Also read: ‘CJP protests may have ended, but youth movement is far from over’ | Interview

Similar scenes were witnessed in Madhya Pradesh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state, where around 2,000 farmers, carrying grain, bedding and ration, broke through police barricades to march into the state capital of Bhopal, fuelling a crop procurement dispute into a major challenge for the Mohan Yadav government.

A post was made on X on behalf of the fan club of the CJP, saying, “The Madhya Pradesh government should immediately listen to the demands of the farmers and ensure necessary action is taken. Farmers are the food providers of our country; the government should understand this. Only farmers and youth can change the condition and direction.”

CJP warns govt of more protests

The CJP, which called off the protests on Saturday soon after Pradhan’s resignation and the Centre’s willingness to meet many of its demands, threatened to relaunch the protests after some of the BJP-ruled states such as Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Rajasthan continued to take stern actions against the protesters on their respective soil.

Also read: After Centre, CJP confronts BJP-ruled states, warns Bihar, Bengal over protesters' arrests

Its leaders also sought Tikait’s support for their demand that the government withdraw cases registered against students. It warned that if no action was taken, a nationwide agitation would be started in tandem with farmer bodies and youth groups.