The full form of BKU is Bhartiya Kisan Union

Bharatiya Kisan Union (abbreviated BKU) (English: Indian Farmers’ Union) is a farmer’s representative organisation in India. It was founded by Chaudhary Charan Singh from the Punjab Khetibari Union (Punjab Farming Union) which became its Punjab branch. The union is affiliated to the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee and Via Campesina. The national headquarters of the union is located in Sisauli, Uttar Pradesh

BKU is an Indian Farmer Representative Organization

In 1987 Shri Mahendra Singh Tikait organised a campaign in Shamli, Muzaffar Nagar, UP demanding the waiving of electricity bills for farmers and became a significant figure. He founded there Bhartiya Kisan Union.

In 1988 Shri Mahendra Singh Tikait organized Bhartiya Kisan Union Rally was at Delhi’s Boat Club lawns with nearly five lakh farmers from western Uttar Pradesh in the entire stretch from Vijay Chowk to India Gate for over a week and compelled the Rajiv Gandhi government to accept his 35-point charter of demands including raising of prices for sugarcane and the waiving of electricity bills for farmers.

In July 1990, Shri Mahendra Singh Tikait organized Bhartiya Kisan Union Rally in Lucknow with over two lakh farmers, with demand for higher sugarcane prices and heavy rebates in electricity dues to Janata Dal Government of Uttar Pradesh and succeeded.

In 1992, Shri Mahendra Singh Tikait dharna in Lucknow with his demand for writing off farmers’ loans up to Rs 10,000 and arranged a Dharna in Ghaziabad, demanding higher compensation towards the acquired land of farmers.

About Shri Mahendra Singh Tikait

Shri Mahendra Singh Tikait was a well known farmer leader in the western area of Uttar Pradesh state, India. He was born in 6 October 1935 at village Sisauli in Muzaffar Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh. He was Founder President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, a farmers’ movement, and was revered as the farmers’ “second messiah” after the Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. Shri Mahendra Singh Tikait died in Muzaffar Nagar on 15 May 2011 at the age of 75.

The hereditary title of Tikait was apparently conferred on his family by the seventh-century emperor Harshavardhan. As per the hereditary eldest son of the family become the chaudhary of Baliyan Khap. Accordingly after demise of his father Shri Mahendra Singh Tikait had become the chaudhary of Baliyan Khap, at the age of eight.

Tikait had a firm belief in his thousands years old regional and caste’s traditions and culture. He opposed the Supreme Court decision that marriages between people from the same gotra were valid. “We live by a moral code where honour has to be protected at any cost. Same gotra marriages are incestuous, No society would accept it. Why do you expect us to do so? Incest violates maryada (honour) and villagers would kill or be killed to protect their maryada,” he had said in a TV interview.