New Delhi: Fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who serves as the convener of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), received medical assistance on the night between Saturday and Sunday. This decision followed Dallewal’s agreement to accept medical aid after the Central Government extended an invitation to the protesting farmers for a meeting in Chandigarh on February 14 to address their demands.
A team of government physicians administered intravenous fluids to Dallewal; however, he remains committed to his fast-unto-death protest. At 70 years of age, Dallewal has been demonstrating at the Khanauri border since November 26, advocating for the Centre to fulfill the farmers’ demands, which include a legal assurance of minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural products.
In addition to a legally guaranteed MSP, the farmers are also seeking a waiver on farm loans, pensions for farmers and agricultural laborers, a halt to electricity tariff increases, the withdrawal of police cases, and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri incident. They are also calling for the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 and compensation for the families of farmers who lost their lives during the previous agitation in 2020-21. Previously, farmer leaders had criticized the Centre for its “indifferent attitude” towards their demands and expressed alarm over Dallewal’s declining health.
During this impasse, the Punjab government indicated its inability to compel Dallewal to accept medical assistance. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a contempt petition against the state chief secretary and the director general of police for failing to comply with a December 20 order mandating the provision of medical aid and hospitalization for Dallewal. The meeting in Chandigarh will take place at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Public Administration, located in Sector-26.
You are formally invited to participate in the upcoming meeting. Please make it a priority to arrive punctually, as stated in a letter from Priya Ranjan, the joint secretary of the Union agriculture ministry. Delegates from the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have also been requested to join the meeting.
This development followed a meeting where a delegation led by the joint secretary engaged with Dallewal and representatives from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.
