Farmers' protests: Why are Tikaits, many big guns missing in action?

A protracted agitation may force other farmer leaders, and political parties to join forces with protesters: Experts

The absence of Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait from the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political)-led latest farmers’ protest is a noticeable void. Tikait, who was at the forefront of the 2020-21 farmers' protest, has been conspicuously missing since farmers began their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march.

Tikait’s tearful appeal had previously moved his elder brother, Naresh Tikait, to rally hundreds of thousands of farmers on January 27, 2021 — a day after unsettling scenes at the Red Fort when police action was anticipated against protesting farmers at various Delhi borders. 

His recent silence is as significant as his previous tears. Naresh Tikait recently stated: