Apple growers Of Kashmir are in touch with me, says Rakesh Tikait

Amid ongoing farmers' stir in different parts of the country, the face of the agitation, Rakesh Tikait on Saturday said apple growers of Kashmir have invited him to visit the Valley to take up their issues.

"Apple growers of Kashmir Valley have recently approach for a visit so that their issues would also be taken up with farmers of the other parts of the country," Tikait said while addressing a meeting of selected persons.

Tikait, who is the spokesman of the Bharatiya Kissan Union (BKU), was in Jammu to visit the former Mayor of Jammu Municipal Corporation(JMC), Manmohan Choudhary, to condole the demise of his wife. Choudhary's wife Vijay Choudhary, who was a corporator of JMC, died due to Covid-19, some days ago.

Tikait, however, seized this opportunity to give a message to the government that the farming community of Kashmir Valley was also in touch with him. "We were already planning to conduct an extensive tour of J&K to interact with farmers of this region so as to take up their issues at the national level", he said but added that due to the situation that emerged after the second wave of Coronavirus the program has been postponed.

"Although apple growers of Kashmir have approached me to take up their issues, I told them that we will visit Valley along with the farmer leaders of Jammu in future to devise a joint strategy", he said but assured that problems of the farmers of both Jammu and Kashmir regions would be taken up at the national level for redressal.