Farmers' leader rakes BJP with "Do People Want Second Kim Jong?"

Rakesh Tikait, the farmer leader in Uttar Pradesh, referred to North Korea today in his latest attack on the reigning BJP. He said voters must decide if they want a "second Kim Jong Un."

"People have to decide whether they want a Chief Minister and Prime Minister who represent the masses or whether they want a situation like (North Korea) - a second Kim Jong. We do not want a dictatorial government in any state. We want to appeal to people to utilise their votes wisely,"he said.

The farmer leader has frequently targeted Yogi Adityanath and Narendra Modi during election time.

"Muzaffarnagar is not a stadium for Hindu-Muslim marches," he claimed last week, accusing the BJP of engaging in polarizing campaigning in his hometown.

"Western Uttar Pradesh wants to talk about development. Those talking about Hindu, Muslim, Jinnah, religion will lose votes. Muzaffarnagar is not a stadium for Hindu-Muslim matches," tweeted Mr. Tikait.

Additionally, he has frequently emphasized that farmers are more concerned with issues like development and basic facilities like electricity and water. "I think voters will favour those who are not against farmers. They will support those who are not polarising Hindu and Muslim voters. People will favour those who talk about their issues and not only about Pakistan and Jinnah," he had told PTI.

Mr Tikait was one among to lead the protests against three controversial farm laws on highways outside Delhi for nearly 11 months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the laws withdrawn in November, ending the protest.

Farmers, particularly in election states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, were seen as a driving force behind the decision to scrap the laws.

The fact that Mr Tikait has not explicitly backed the Samajwadi Party-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh has prompted speculation that he has turned softer on the BJP.