With Tikait goes back on remarks, calls Mayawati ‘beti’
By IANS,
Lucknow : Three of the four senior Uttar Pradesh officials sent by Chief Minister Mayawati to tackle the tense situation in Muzaffarnagar district where Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Mahendra Singh Tikait has barricaded himself, belong to the Jat community among whom the farmer leader commands a wide following.
The special team, believed to have been handpicked by the chief minister herself, comprises an Indian Administrative Service official and three Indian Police Service officials – all of whom have done stints in Muzaffarnagar district, the home turf of the BKU leader.
The team includes Manoj Singh, currently posted as secretary of rural development, Gurdarshan Singh, inspector general of police (railways), Alok Singh, commandant in the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Satendra Vir Singh, superintendent of police.
The officers were flown to Muzaffarnagar by a special aircraft to rein in Tikait, who has been camping in his native village Sisauli with thousands of his supporters.
However, with BKU volunteers having earlier resorted to violence, the state government is wary about putting the chieftain behind bars as it could spark off large scale violence.
Efforts are on to cajole Tikait into surrender and the special team has been sent from here with that brief.
The administration had chosen to remain soft on Tikait to avoid any major confrontation that could prove politically counter-productive for Mayawati as he enjoys a large following among farmers in that region.