Congress demands withdrawal of case against farmers' leader Tikait

Bengaluru: The opposition Congress on Friday demanded that the case registered against farmers' leader Rakesh Tikait at Shivamogga police station on charges of delivering a provocative speech, be withdrawn immediately.

KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar said, "Our party will always support farmers. We have seen how BJP leaders made such provocative statements during the pandemic and other occasions. No case was filed against anyone then. The case against Rakesh Tikayat who speaks on behalf of the farmers, is reprehensible. We have to protest. The government should not do this." Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah said that the country's farmers have been protesting on the streets for the past 120 days and the government has been displaying 'wickedness by filing cases against farmers without responding to their problems'.

"It has become a norm for the BJP leaders to consider all anti-farm act protestors as criminals but the people of our country know who the real culprits are. It is foolish on the part of the state BJP leaders to think that they can control farmers by using police force," he said.

Condemning the police action, the former chief minister said, "This has exposed the hidden agenda of self proclaimed farmer's leader B.S Yediyurappa. I urge him to immediately withdraw all the cases against Rakesh Tikait."