‘My life is not important’: Farmer leader Dallewal at ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose indefinite hunger strike entered its 40th day on Saturday, said he is more worried about the lives of Indian farmers than his own life.

“My life is not as important as the lives of lakhs of Indian farmers, who are reeling under distress. Already over 7 lakh farmers have committed suicide owing to the distress in the farming sector,” said Dallewal while addressing a mahapanchayat at the Khanauri border site.

Farmers have been protesting, demanding a legally guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) among other demands. They have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points after the Haryana police stopped their attempts to enter Delhi, citing a lack of necessary “permission” from central authorities.

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Besides a legally guaranteed MSP, the protesting farmers have been demanding a farm loan waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.

Dallewal has held an indefinite hunger strike at Khanauri since November 26 and refused to break unless the Centre initiates talks with protesting farmers. Attempts to provide medical aid have failed despite repeated persuasion from the Supreme Court and the Punjab government. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had said that a team of government doctors is regularly monitoring Dallewal's health.

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Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that the Centre will act in accordance with the Supreme Court's instructions.

Farmer leaders of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha decided to conduct a mahapanchayat amid deadlock over talks and Dallewal's deteriorating health.

“Jagjit Singh Dellewal said to us that I want to see all those farmers, whomever I served from the last 44 Years. As we all know, his health is deteriorating continuously, and the situation could be out of control anytime,” farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar had said.

Earlier in the day, three women members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ugrahan died and several others were critically injured when their bus met with an accident due to dense fog conditions. All members were travelling to attend the mahapanchayat at Khanauri.

(With inputs from Karam Prakash in Punjab)