New Delhi:

After the Congress lost the Haryana Assembly elections, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said on Sunday that former chief minister Bhupinder Hooda’s stubbornness sank the party.

Reacting to a statement by farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni, he said, “There was resentment among the farmers. It is not that the farmers did not go with other parties. The farmers voted for every party. There is resentment among the people who joined the movement. Those who did not join the movement are with the government.”

“Elections are fought on a party basis, religion basis and caste basis. People will vote in favour of like-minded parties. A person who is a farmer, a labourer or a shopkeeper will vote for a party he has faith in. They (farmers) all live together in the organisation. If a person starts considering the people of the organisation as being in his favour, then he is wrong,” he added.

The BKU leader also raised questions about discrepancies in EVMs. “You did not understand mathematics. The public has voted…but they (BJP) are the ones who win… Like the sugarcane committee elections are being held in Uttar Pradesh, their (BJP’s) direct game here is to cancel the nominations of the people of the other party and win without election,” he told IANS.

“People in the BJP have become masters of elections… by fighting with sticks, intellect, or by making people fight with each other, they will win the elections. It is their tactic that they have to win the elections,” Mr Tikait said.

“There was definitely something wrong in this election (Haryana), we had said this earlier as well. EVMs are kept somewhere and then when elections are held somewhere else, are the EVMs shown to any party before they are sent to booths? The engineers do all the programme setting… yes, it is all a game of EVMs. You press any button…votes will go to them (BJP),” he claimed. 

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni blamed Mr Hooda for the Congress’ defeat in Haryana.

“Mr Hooda is the biggest reason for the Congress’ defeat because he did not compromise with anyone, and all responsibility was placed on him,” he asserted.

Haridwar:

After rounds of inconclusive talks between Centre and farmers over their demands, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said that there should be a solution through dialogue and continuous talks with Centre are going on.

“People living in the forests protect the environment. From Bihar to Andhra Pradesh, which is a forest area, Adivasis worship the ‘Jungle’. No army and farmers are standing face to face. We have people in the army also who comes from the farming background. There should be a solution through dialogue. Continuous talks are going on with the Centre,” he said.

Meanwhile, another protesting farmer has died at the Khanauri border, bringing the toll to 4 during the ongoing protest under the call for Delhi Chalo, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on Friday.

The 62-year-old farmer, Darshan Singh from Amargarh village in Bathinda district, had been staying at the Khanauri border since February 13.

The General Secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher said that Darshan Singh died of cardiac arrest.

“He was at the Khanauri border and is the fourth martyr of this farmers’ agitation. He has been identified as Darshan Singh (62). He died of a heart attack,” Mr Pandher said.

He also said that a job to a member of the victim’s family should be given.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Friday that the Centre has established a three-member committee of ministers and is holding negotiations with farmers.

Speaking to ANI on the farmer’s protests, the Finance Minister said, “The centre has formed a 3-member committee of ministers and is conducting discussions and negotiating with farmers.”

Ms Sitharaman also said that the Prime Minister had left no stone unturned to ensure farmers’ welfare and that PM Modi worked even for the small and marginal farmers.

“I can provide a series of lists of all that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done for the farmers. From increasing their income to assisting with the smallest of expenses, PM Modi has taken every step for the welfare of the farmers. He works for even the small farmers,” said the Finance Minister.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)