Lucknow: The Shiv Sena leader and Member of Rajya Sabha Sanjay Raut, who visited Ghazipur border on Tuesday to meet agitating Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, reiterated his party’s support to farmers’ agitation.
Talking to media persons after meeting Tikait and reassuring him of Shiv Sena’s support, Raut said that he came to meet Tikait on the directions of the Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray. “The Chief Minister will also speak to Rakesh ji over the phone in a day or two,” he added.
Raut said that the Shiv Sena was annoyed with the way the government was using force against agitating farmers to end their stir forcibly. “Our Chief Minister Thackeray Saab has sent me here to convey that the Shiv Sena, people of Maharashtra and our government support their agitation."
“It’s our responsibility to stand with the farmers to protest the government's repressive measures and support their just demand,” he pointed.
When asked about agitation turning political, Rakesh Tikait said that their agitation is apolitical and no political leader was allowed to share their dais or use it for making political speech.
Once a BJP ally, the Shiv Sena was among opposition parties who had boycotted the President Ram Nath Kovid’s address to the joint session of the Parliament in support of the farmers’ agitation.
