Muzaffarnagar (The Hawk): Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra has received backing from the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), a split group under the leadership of Harpal Singh Bilari. The BKU (Bilari) declared that when the yatra passes through western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan in the following days, they will take part in it. On November 7, the yatra reached Maharashtra and will continue through Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh.
On Sunday, a group from the organisation led by Bilari met with Digvijay Singh, a leader in the Congress and the chairman of the yatra, to discuss how they might help with the walkathon. "The Bharat Jodo Yatra has evolved into a public campaign for defending democratic values in society after Mahatma Gandhi and the JP Movement. When the country is going through a political, social, and economic crisis, the yatra is considered as a beacon of hope "Bilari informed the press.
Bilari expressed her optimism that Rahul Gandhi will strive for farmers' rights and recalled his crucial contribution to the new land acquisition policy, which made it possible for farmers to receive fair compensation for the land they had to give up for development projects. Bilari is a seasoned farmer activist from western Uttar Pradeh who collaborated with Mahendra Singh Tikait, the leader of the BKU, and actively took part in many of his movements.
After Tikait's demise in 2011, he founded his organisation with other like-minded businessmen. In western Uttar Pradesh, particularly in the divisions of Moradabad and Bareilly, his organisation has a strong support base. Additionally, Bilari was a part of the 40-person Sanyukt Kisan Morcha committee during the 13-month farmers' movement against the three contentious agriculture legislation.