Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the farmers leader who is on a fast unto death, on Friday wrote a letter requesting the Supreme Court to direct the Centre to honour the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture.
The letter urged the apex court to ask the Union Government to respect the sentiments of farmers and enact a law for Minimum Support Price (MSP) as suggested by the Committee and also meet other farmer demands as soon as possible.
The letter written under the letter head of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and signed by Dallewal reads:
"Today marks the 25th day of my hunger strike as part of the ongoing movement led by the SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha for 13 demands, including the MSP guarantee law. I have learned from the news that you are deeply concerned about my health, and I respect your sentiments. However, I humbly request you to prioritise the lives of farmers who committed suicide due to the government’s misguided policies over my own life.
"Earlier, only farmers and agricultural laborers demanded the MSP guarantee law. Now, even the Parliament's Standing Committee on Agriculture has emphasised in its report (Volume 1, Point 7, Page 54) that such a law should be enacted. This will greatly benefit farmers, the rural economy, and the country. The MSP guarantee law will enhance farmers’ purchasing power, significantly benefiting the national economy. This recommendation comes from an all-party parliamentary committee, which includes 31 MPs representing all political parties.
Dallewal further stated:
"I request you to issue necessary directions to the central government to enact the MSP guarantee law in line with the parliamentary committee’s report and the sentiments of farmers. This will help prevent farmer suicides. I also want to draw your attention to the fact that the issues we are protesting are not merely demands but promises made by various governments.
"In 2011, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Committee and Chief Minister of Gujarat, sent a report to the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, recommending that no trader should purchase crops below the MSP set by the government and that a law should be enacted for this. However, after coming to power in 2014, PM Modi has yet to implement his own recommendation.
Broken promises
"The Dr Swaminathan Commission, formed in 2006 to address farmer suicides, submitted its report to the UPA government, but it was not implemented. During the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, PM Modi promised to determine crop MSPs based on the C2+50% formula of the Swaminathan Commission. However, this promise remains unfulfilled," the letter noted.
"When we suspended our 378-day agitation in 2020–2021, the Union Agriculture Ministry handed us a letter on December 9, 2021, containing several written commitments. These included ensuring MSP for all farmers, exempting farming activities from pollution laws, providing proper compensation to the injured in Lakhimpur Kheri, consulting farmers before presenting the Electricity Bill in Parliament, and withdrawing cases against agitating farmers. None of these promises have been implemented so far," it went on to add.
Health condition remains serious
Doctors monitoring Dallewal's health have reported that his condition is critical, and he refrained from meeting anyone on Friday.
"I will continue on this path until my last breath," he said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has directed the Punjab government to move the fasting farmer leader to a nearby makeshift hospital at the Khanauri border for round-the-clock health monitoring.
Many farmers, in solidarity with Dallewal, staged a symbolic hunger strike.
Farmers from neighboring Haryana, under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU-Charuni), fasted in Kaithal to express their support for Dallewal.
"The health condition of Dallewal is serious. The Union Government should hold talks with the protesting farmers and accept their demands. These include fulfilling promises made in December 2021, particularly the legal guarantee of MSP on all crops. Failure to do so has left farmers feeling betrayed," said Vikram Kasana, State President of BKU (Charuni).
