CHANDIGARH, Dec 24: Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose fast unto death entered the 29th day on Tuesday, said they had to “fight unitedly to win this battle”.
Dallewal (70) has been sitting on a hunger strike at the Khanauri border since November 26 to put pressure on the Centre to accept the farmers’ demands, including legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP).
Addressing the farmers from the special stage made in view of his deteriorating health, Dallewal expressed heartfelt gratitude to those lending support to the agitation.
“I want to tell all of you that I am alright,” he said in a frail voice as another farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar helped him.
“We have to win this battle. This battle will be won only if the whole country fights unitedly,” Dallewal said and appealed to Punjab’s “younger brother Haryana” and other states that “this battle should be fought strongly”.
“I want that the government should not be able to evict us from here at any cost. If it is not able to do so, then either we will win or die, one of two things will happen,” he said in his over two-minute-long speech.
Kohar later said that when Dallewal mentioned he was alright, he meant he might have grown physically weak but his spirit was high.
Doctors attending to Dallewal have described his condition as critical.
Farmers, under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
A “jatha (group)” of 101 farmers attempted to march to Delhi on foot three times between December 6 and 14 but were stopped by security personnel in Haryana.
Meanwhile, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s Punjab unit leaders held a meeting and condemned the central and the Punjab governments’ “indifferent attitude”, saying they should have intervened by now as Dallewal’s health was deteriorating.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha leader Prem Singh Bhangu also said appeals for legal guarantee for MSP and loan waiver, among others, were old demands, for which their body was already fighting at various platforms.
To build pressure on the Centre to accept the demands and address concerns regarding Dallewal’s health, farmer leaders will seek time to meet President Droupadi Murmu in the first week of January.
A rally has also been planned in Punjab’s Moga on January 9 in which various issues pertaining to farmers will be highlighted.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders, however, said there was no plan to join the ongoing protest at Shambhu and Khanauri or their call for programmes such as a Punjab ‘bandh’.
Referring to the Centre’s National Agriculture Market Policy, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders expressed apprehension that it was another move to bring back the repealed farm laws in another form.
About Dallewal continuing his hunger strike, Bhangu said, “We have condemned the Centre for sitting silently on Dallewal’s health. We have condemned the Punjab government as well. Neither the Punjab chief minister nor his ministers are concerned. Both the central and the Punjab governments should have intervened by now.”
“When we recently met the Punjab governor, we expressed concern over Dallewal’s health. We told the governor that the Centre should intervene as his (Dallewal’s) health was important. We also told him that the situation was volatile. If anything untoward happens, a problem of law and order can arise,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann urged the Centre to give up its “stubbornness” and hold talks with the protesting farmers. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
