Muzaffarnagar, April 2:

Farmer chieftain Mahendra Singh Tikait was arrested from his political bastion here today, ending a two-day standoff with the Uttar Pradesh government that had issued a warrant against him for allegedly making casteist remarks against Chief Minister Mayawati.

Success came after virtual nightlong deliberations between a team of senior officials from the state capital Lucknow and the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) that commands a following among the Jat dominant farmers of western UP.

Mayawati had handpicked the four-member team with care for deliberations. It was agreed that the BKU leader would leave his village Sisauli and surrender before the court at Bijnor. Accordingly, a convoy of more than 100 cars, jeeps and tractors left Sisauli and proceeded to the district headquarters of Muzaffarnagar. When it reached this town, SSP Ajay Anand announced his formal arrest and escorted the farmer leader to Bijnor where he would be produced before the court. The controversy was sparked after Tikait, 73, allegedly abused Mayawati during a rally in Bijnor on Sunday.

Tikait decided to take a step back today at a panchayat in Sisauli, the headquarters of his BKU. Sporting his trademark Gandhi cap, a now-portly Tikait told his supporters in the village: “I do not want bloodshed; that is why I am surrendering.”

The UP government called in many security men on Monday to arrest Tikait but backed off as his supporters fought pitched battles with the security personnel throughout the day. Despite admitting his mistake and terming the remarks “a slip of tongue”, Tikait said Mayawati was seeking revenge.