Union Minister Ajay Mishra calls Rakesh Tikait 'do kaudi ka aadmi', says 'dogs bark'

On October 3 last year, eight people, including four farmers, were killed in violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, and Mishra's son was arrested as the main accused

Union minister Ajai Kumar Mishra, whose son Ashish Mishra was the prime accused in the killing of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh in October last year, triggered a huge controversy after he called Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait "do kaudi ka aadmi" (worthless person) and likened his criticism to a ''barking dog''.

Reacting to Mishra's remarks, Tikait on Tuesday said that "goondaraj" prevailed in Lakhimpur Kheri (Mishra's home town) and sought his externment from the district.

''I know Rakesh Tikait very well.....he is a do kaudi ka aadmi.....he contested polls twice and both times lost his security deposit,'' Mishra said while addressing a meeting of the BJP workers in Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday.

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''I don't care what Tikait says about me......dogs keep barking but the elephant doesn't bother,'' the union minister said, referring to an adage.

Mishra also called those journalists, who asked questions from him about the farmers' killing, as "Bewakoof" (stupid). ''Some bewakoof patrakar (stupid journalists) keep on asking questions about the case....they have nothing to do with journalism,'' he said.

Tikait, while reacting to Mishra's remarks, said that he was ''too little to matter'' to the minister but added that the latter might be angry as his son had been languishing in jail for the past one year in connection with the killing of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri.

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''The people of Lakhimpur Kheri have been victims of Mishra's goondaraj.....such a person should not be allowed to enter the district,'' Tikat said.

Eight people, including four farmers and a local scribe, were killed in the violence at Tikonia in the district when hundreds of farmers held protests against Ajai Kumar Mishra over the latter's remarks threatening them with dire consequences if they continued to oppose the now scrapped farm laws.

The Allahabad high court, which cancelled Ashish Mishra's bail, had remarked that the incident might not have happened had union minister Ajai Kumar Mishra not used provocative language against the farmers. ''Political persons holding high offices, should make public utterances in a decent language considering its repercussions in the society...They should not make irresponsible statements as they are required to conduct themselves befitting their status and dignity of high office which they hold,'' the court had said.