On a day when the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) gave a ‘rail roko ’ call against the Centre’s three farm laws, a statement of Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik went viral wherein he said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders could not enter the villages of Meerut, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, and if the demands of the farmers were not met, the BJP Government would not return to power.
Once again offering to mediate , Mr. Malik said farmers would withdraw the agitation if the Government agreed to guarantee the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
Speaking to reporters in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, on Monday, Mr. Malik said the Government had been unreasonable with the farmers.
“Farmers have been languishing at the borders for 10 months, away from their homes and fields. The Government should listen to their demands. I am with them and if required I will leave the post,” he said.
He added he had fought with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister on the issue and had advised them “not to do this.”
“But it seems they are surrounded by people who are giving them wrong advice,” he said.
“‘Sarkaron ka mijaz, aasman pe ho jata hai’ (governments tend to become bereft of ground realities). They don’t realise the pain [of the public]. But time forces them to listen and see. This Government would also have to listen. If it fails to meet the demands, it will not return to power...in Meerut, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar, the area I come from, BJP leaders can’t enter the villages,” said Mr. Malik, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir when Article 370 was revoked.
“I am ready to mediate. You [the government] guarantee the MSP, I will persuade farmers on farm laws. I will tell them the SC is seized of the matter, leave it,” said Mr. Malik who was a part of the Janata Dal and won the Aligarh Lok Sabha election on the party ticket.
The 75-year-old seasoned politician has also been part of the Congress, the Lok Dal and the Samajwadi Party before moving to the BJP.
Sources in the region say that Mr. Malik is looking to return to active politics, using the farmers’ protest as a platform.
Published - October 18, 2021 02:10 pm IST
