Now, to nobody’s surprise, Rakesh Tikait, s/o Mahendra Singh Tikait, has taken Modi’s place at the stubborn picket line. After the ineffective performance by the PM, it is nice to see a spokesperson of a farmer’s union with a spine! Did Tikait pick it up from where Modi dropped his—on the roadside?

But which roadside? Narendra Modi hasn’t gone to any of the spots at Delhi’s borders where farmers pitched tent and are continuing to block roads. In language fit for the rough and hard-bitten farmers, Modi refused to get off his obstinate stand and do something — anything — about the protesting farmers ringing Delhi.

Now, after nearly a year of wasted days and 700 deaths, there is the spectacle of a farmer leader—a commoner nevertheless—talking tough to, of all the people, the Prime Minister of India! Warning and threatening the 56” chest in a stentorian voice that Alexander the Great would have envied, to “mend his ways” or else…

That should be enough for anybody to burst an artery, but nothing from the Prime Minister so far. What is he waiting for? Tikait even told the cameras of “Chabbis January and 4 lakh tractors.” Didn’t Modi get the message? What about the message going out into the world? What will Joe Biden think—Imran Khan, and above all Xi Jinping?

The people of India, the hoi polloi—the Great Unwashed—the electorate which voted Modi and the BJP, heard Rakesh Tikait loud and clear. Was this really the man, Narendra Modi, they had voted to power, not once but twice? To many Indians, Modi is a disappointment. There is no gall, only bladder!

Forget which man is in the chair—what his name is, which party he belongs to—forget everything, except that he has got the title of the ‘Prime Minister of India’, which should command the highest respect. The current incumbent has let the “Prime Minister of India” down.

Not unwittingly, but maybe knowingly, too. Is there a character flaw? First, it was like he wanted to be another Jawaharlal Nehru. Now, it seems he wants to ape Mahatma Gandhi, all contrite and humble—show the other cheek! Doesn’t he know it doesn’t work that way?

For all his frail frame, Mahatma Gandhi was a tough nut to crack. He never went back on his word. His principles were principal to him. There was no waver in the spine. And if he had said the farm laws spelled good for the majority of farmers, he would have stood by his words come what may.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi buckled. That is not how the leader of a country—and that a democracy—executes his responsibility. What is the message Prime Narendra Modi gave—that he will willingly throw the majority under the bus to please the few because he wanted to save his chair? Like actor Prakash Raj said, “Kuch Bhi!”

Somebody has to stop Rakesh Tikait from making a fool of himself, and draw the farmers, who have been enjoying the “success” after the long struggle, into another phase of bitter struggle. Rakesh Tikait, say reports, is at odds with the likes of Gurnam Singh Chaduni, even Yogendra Yadav, on what shape the protests should take hereafter.

If handled right, the fight for MSP could be another triumph for the farmers. But Rakesh Tikait appears to enjoy the ham-handed approach. He was doing fine for the longest time since the protests started. Then suddenly, nobody knows when, he lost his moorings. Everyone knows Tikait has political ambitions, but does that mean he can go off the handle whenever he feels like.

The only good thing is, Rakesh Tikait, because he behaves like a lumpen, has exposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pusillanimity. Otherwise, the yellow streak because of its colour often escapes detection. If Narendra Modi fails to “buckle” Rakesh Tikait before January 26, 2022, he might as well put in his papers. One way to unbuckle Tikait is hand over the Minimum Support Price. (IPA Service)