Tappal protest leader slams Tevatia,parties

Farmer leader Ram Babu Katelia,who twice forced Mayawati-led BSP government to change its stance on compensation to farmers for land acquisition for Yamuna Expressway Project.

Farmer leader Ram Babu Katelia,who twice forced Mayawati-led BSP government to change its stance on compensation to farmers for land acquisition for Yamuna Expressway Project,on Monday came down heavily against politicians for trying to cash in on the farmers agitation.

Talking to The Indian Express at his residence in Katelia village in Mathura district,he said,Former UP CMs Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh,RLD chief Ajit Singh,Leader of Opposition in UP Shivpal Yadav,Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi visited Zirakpur following the firing against protesting farmers,but they could not get even a single rupee hike in the compensation to farmers for their lands. They just sense a political opportunity in the protests.

Katelia’s comments come in the backdrop of Ajit Singh,Rajnath Singh,Shivpal Yadav and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav once again making their way to Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) to court arrest in support of agitating farmers in Bhatta and Parsaul villages in Greater Noida where clashes with the police resulted in the death of two farmers along with two police personnel.

Katelia has first forced Mayawati government to revise up the compensation to farmers in Bajna (Mathura) and later in Tappal (Aligarh). In fact,it was only after the protests under his leadership in Tappal that Mayawati had to come out with a relatively generous compensation policy for farmers on the lines of rehabilitation policy in Haryana.

Katelia said it was due to the lack of leadership among the farmers that they are cheated by the “brokers” that result into disgruntlement,fuelling agitation.

Contrasting the situation in Tappal (Aligarh) from that in Bhatta-Parsaul,he said,Here in six villages near Tappal,only 48 per cent farmers were involved in signing the agreement of selling off their land while the rest remained adamant for better compensation. Although I am not quite aware of situation about Bhatta-Parsaul,but from reports it appears that about 80 per cent of farmers have already signed the agreement for selling their land. This weakens the farmers’ demand.

Criticising Manvir Singh Tevatia,he said,My guess is that Tevatia either wants to make money by orchestrating these protests after 80 per cent of farmers have already sold off their land,or he is trying to project himself as leader of farmers ahead of election later so that the visiting leaders reach out to him.