LAKHIMPUR KHERI: Tikunia ….. The township, bordering Nepal, was sleepy and non-descript till October 3, 2021, when it witnessed one of the most gruesome incidents of violence which brought disrepute to it. Eight persons including four farmers lost their lives. The farmers were run over allegedly by an impudent son of a union minister and in the aftermath of it, three persons were lynched by angry mob. The anger that spilled across the district was hard to handle by dispensation.
An eerie silence prevails in Banveerpur village of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, sitting BJP MP from Lakhimpur Kheri and Union Minister. People busy in daily grind go silent when one asks them about October 3 violence. On changing the topic they return to spirited discussion. “We are getting free ration, power supply, house for poor but price rise has offset whatever positive the government has done,” says Ram Autar Singh, a farmer, who also claims that all issues aside, his choice is the ‘Phool’ (lotus).
Tikunia votes under Nighasan assembly constituency, one among the eight which BJP had swept in 2017 under the intense Modi wave. However, as one comes out of the Banveerpur village, one finds that despite the nationwide outrage, October 3 violence somehow is fading from memory. Some believe it was a plot against Teni. “Monu Bhaiyya (Ashish Mishra, key accused of Tikunia violence) has fallen victim to a well-plotted conspiracy. All those who had assembled at the college ground were outsiders. The incident is a thing of the past,” says Avinash Shukla, an LLB student who studies in Lucknow but has gone to his native village Barotha to cast vote under Phase-iv on February 23.
Last week, Ashish Mishra came out of jail on bail granted to him by Allahabad High Court. “Despite all that happened on October 3, Teni Maharaj is our saviour. He stands by us in our grief and happiness. He solves our problems, he is our ‘Saansad’ (MP). People are out to defame him but he will come out of it,” says Manish Verma, a Kurmi, hoping that the Tikunia incident does not affect Phool (lotus) on the ground on the day of voting.
Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’, Union Minister of State from Home affairs, the sitting BJP MP from Lakhimpur Kheri, had won from Nighasan assembly constituency in 2012. It is a buzz that Teni’s son Ashish, the key accused of the Tikunia incident was claimant of BJP ticket from Nighasan seat but the violence ended his quest abruptly.
Karamjeet Singh, riding a motorbike, when stopped and asked about the impact of violence on the ground, comes out openly. “You take my words. Granting bail to Ashish Mishra is not right. While he is out, our people accused in the lynching cases are still behind the bars. Is kand ka asar March 10 ko dikhega (the impact of the Tikunia incident will reflect in the result on March 10),” he asserts only to be confronted by a youth Satish Gupta, a grocery shop owner. “Those who were killed were outsiders. It is not going to impact voting patterns neither in Nighasan nor in entire Kheri,” he says. However, people agree that there is simmering anger among the Sikh community which makes around 20,000-40,000 of the population in different assembly segments, over the October 3 incident.
The discourse shifts to other issues as for Mohammad Mian, husband of Barsola village head, Parveen Sana, Tikunia violence is no issue in the ongoing elections. “Flood is the major problem here. Every year we face the fury of inundated Mohan and Karna rivers as the flood water devours our crops,” he laments. For Jibrail, a farmer, the issue of stray cattle is also prominent but he finds relief as the authorities have become active and infirmed animals are being kept in Gaushalas as he claims. For Shafiq Ahmad, head of Sukhna Barsola village, stray cattle issue is serious.
Discontent is palpable among the cane growers of Lakhimpur Kheri, also known as the sugar bowl of UP. Humkum Singh, a cane grower in the Palia assembly segment puts forth the issue. “The private mills are lagging behind in clearing the dues of the cane farmers. The cooperative mills are making regular payments but the government has not been able to prevail over the mills owned by Bajaj. Our dues of 15 days are still pending and the government needs to intervene,” he says supported by Jwala Singh Patel, another cane grower. “We depend for our daily expenses on the payment made to us by the sugar mills. If the mill owners falter in payment, life becomes tough for us,” he says.
Lakhimpur Kheri has over nine sugar mills of which three are private and owned by the Bajaj group. In Palia, the Assembly constituency adjoining Nighasan, the common perception is that the people of Nighsan will not open up against ‘Teni Maharaj’ who has the image of Kheri’s strongman. “People, especially, the Sikhs will not speak against Teni Maharaj in Nighasan as they know that they have to live there only,” says Anurag Mishra, 45, a teacher of Palia. Mishra thinks that the Tikunia incident brought taint to Lakhimpur Kheri.
Besides, people are vocal about the price rise and unemployment. “There has been an increase in wages (Rs 300/day) for labourers during the last five years. Moreover, after the COVID, many of us are compelled to work even on reduced rates – Rs 250-270 per day. Why will we vote for this government then?,” asks Sanjeev, a contractor providing labourers.
“They gave the gas connection and a cylinder free but now we can’t afford to refill it spending Rs 1000. So out women are back to chulha,” says Kamlesh Yadav, working at a saree shop in Palia, spells out his choice in favour of Samajwadi Party.
On the other, Kalyan Gautam, an ardent Mayawati supported refuses to accept that the fight in UP is more or less bipolar with depleted Bahujan Samaj Party. “No Behenji is not out of the race. She doesn’t believe in making noises and personal attacks like BJP and SP. She is fighting the elections gracefully and results will tell a different story on March 10,” he claims. However, law and order seem to have some traction on the ground but then the October 3 incident comes to haunt them.