BJP will not return to power if farmers' demands not met: Malik

Jaipur: Backing the protesting farmers on their demand for the dismissal of Union minister Ajay Mishra, Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik said he should have resigned immediately after the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and does not deserve the post in any case.

Malik also said the BJP will not return to power unless the government listens to the farmers agitating over the agri laws, and asserted that he is ready to mediate if the Centre agrees to give legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops. On the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, Malik said the Union Minister of State for Home should have been asked to resign right after the Lakhimpur incident. "It is completely wrong. Resignation of the minister should have been sought the day Lakhimpur Kheri incident took place. Otherwise too, he doesn't deserve to be a minister," he said. Four of the eight people who died in the violence on October 3 were farmers, allegedly knocked down by a vehicle carrying BJP workers. Angry farmers then allegedly lynched some people in the vehicles.

The other dead included two BJP workers and their driver. Farmers have claimed that Ajay Mishra's son Ashish was in one of the vehicles, an allegation denied by him and his father who say they can produce evidence to prove he was at an event at that time. Ashish Mishra was arrested in the case on October 9. Malik said those in government are unable to see the pain of people "The government will not come back to power if it does not listen to farmers," Malik said. He further said, "There is only one thing which will solve the entire issue. If the government agrees to give the MSP guarantee, I will mediate and convince the farmers." When asked why government is not able resolve the farmer's issue, he said, those who get power get arrogant.

"They do not realise this until everything is destroyed," he said. He said, "The government itself is not arrogant but those who give advice and are close to them are not giving them the right advice." In March, Malik had extended his support to the farmers' agitation and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to not offend the protesters. Malik said he is with the farmers and has even fought with the prime minister and Union home minister on their issues. "I am with the farmers. I have fought with prime minister and home minister for them. I have told everyone that what they are doing is wrong and they should not do it," Malik said. Replying to a question on whether the farmers' agitation will affect the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, Malik said people of the state will be able to answer that but BJP leaders cannot enter any village in Meerut, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar. He was apparently referring to protest against the BJP.

Reacting to the recent spate of civilian killings by militants in Jammu and Kashmir, Malik has said that when he was the governor of the erstwhile state, "terrorists didn't dare to enter within a radius of 50 kilometres of Srinagar."

"When I was there, there was no stone pelting, no (terrorist) recruitment and nobody was dying. Terrorist didn't dare to enter within a radius of 50 kilometres of Srinagar. Now they are openly killing inside the city)," said Malik.