Noida, Jan 31 (PTI) Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday called on farmers to be prepared for a “long struggle” as he claimed that the Centre has “betrayed” them over issues related to the farming community. He also demanded that the Centre must explain why no compensation has been paid to “martyrs” of the farmers’ protest or a committee formed to look into the issue of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops. “By betraying farmers of the country, the government has rubbed salt into their wounds. With this betrayal, it is clear that farmers of the country should be ready for a long struggle,” the national spokesperson of the influential north Indian farmers" union tweeted in Hindi. His remark came as sections of farmers observed “Betrayal Day” on Monday on the call of the BKU and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a farmers" collective which spearheaded the over a year-long protest at Delhi"s borders from November 2020 against the Centre. “It"s a betrayal to farmers that the cases lodged during the protest have not been withdrawn, the martyrs have not been given compensation, there is no word on electricity bills, no resolution to the notices of central agencies and cases. The Centre should respond to this,” Tikait said in another tweet. The protest on Delhi"s borders had started under the banner of the SKM over main demands of withdrawal of three contentious farm laws that were introduced by the BJP-led Centre. The farmers, who occupied key border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur for over a year, also demanded a legal guarantee of the MSP for crops. The contentious farm laws were withdrawn by the Centre after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year announced that these will be rolled back. PTI KIS RDK RDK