When laws are made without consultation, people protest: Rakesh Tikait on truckers' strike

Noida: When laws are formulated without any consultation with stakeholders, they face opposition in the form of protests, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said on Tuesday, as he extended support to the ongoing strike by truck drivers in the country.

The BKU leader dubbed the new penal provision for hit-and-run cases in the the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita -- which truckers in several states have opposed -- as a "kaala kanoon" (black law).

The farmer leader said if someone gets injured in an accident, they need to be taken to the hospital but when drivers run away, they do it to save themselves from the mob.

"Either the mob will kill him or the law will kill him. If something is done without consultation, it was bound to face opposition. We are all with them (transporters). The union (BKU) is with them because these people belong to families of villagers, farmers, tribals. The poor who work far away from their homes to earn a livelihood," Tikait said in a video posted on X by BKU's state youth president Anuj Singh.

Tikait said the central government's "black law" will "finish" small transporters in the country.

"Big companies will come in. Goods will be transported on rail lines more. How many people who are linked to this system go jobless? This is a dangerous system," Tikait claimed.

"The government has brought in a black law. Will big private companies come into the transport sector here? Is it their conspiracy or is it a conspiracy by insurance companies?" he said.

Tikait said truck drivers work under tough working conditions and have to stay away from their homes for long periods to earn a livelihood for their families. He also called on "car owners" to speak on the issue.

"Today, car owners are not saying anything about it. Will this law not apply to them? This law will apply to them also and will they wake up only later?" he said.

Under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause a serious road accident by negligent driving and run away without informing the police or any official from the administration can face punishment of up to 10 years or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.

The punishment in such cases was two years prison in the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The new provisions have triggered strikes by drivers in several states, including Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Massive queues of customers were seen at fuel stations across these states on Tuesday as the truckers' strike hit supplies and triggered panic-buying.