CHANDIGARH:CHANDIGARH: After 131 days of fast-unto-death, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Saturday announced that he would end his indefinite hunger strike, which began on 26 November last year. However, he stated that he would continue leading the farmers’ movement with renewed strength.
Addressing a 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' organised at Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district, Dallewal, chief of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), said, “You (farmers) all have asked me to end the fast unto death. I am indebted to you for taking care of the agitation. I respect your sentiments, I accept your order."
"Even as I wanted to continue with the fast till all the 12 demands are met, but as more and more demands were pouring in asking me to visit various states to mobilise farmers for national level struggle for bigger issues concerning farming, going by those appeals and aiming to reach out to farmers from across the country I decided to accept those appeals,” he added.
He added that the struggle for a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops, based on the C2+50 per cent formula, will continue. “For that, all need to come prepared and, if need be, we will again start the morcha at the appropriate time,” he said.
Indications of Dallewal breaking his over four-month-long fast had emerged on Friday when farmer leaders close to him welcomed the appeal made by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urging him to end his fast and lead farmers in the next round of meetings on 4 May. Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu also appealed to Dallewal to end his fast.
Dallewal began his indefinite hunger strike on 26 November last year to press for various demands of the agitating farmers, including a legal guarantee on MSP.
Though he agreed to attend the proposed meeting with Union ministers on 4 May, Dallewal questioned the government's credibility. “How can we trust the governments which stabbed in the back by arresting farm leaders by inviting them for talks? But despite all this, we will attend the next round of meetings even if we are arrested again,” he said.
Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohad said there was immense pressure from farmers who wanted Dallewal to visit them. “Thus going by it, he decided to end the fast and lead farmers in their fight,” Kohad added.
Though Dallewal began taking medical aid at the Khanauri protest site after the Union government had invited farmer leaders for talks in January, he did not end his fast. On 19 March, he was detained by Punjab Police and moved between two hospitals in Jalandhar before being rushed to Park Hospital in Patiala on 24 March. He was discharged on 3 April.
On 28 March, the state government informed the Supreme Court that Dallewal had ended his 123-day-long hunger strike, but the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) strongly refuted this claim at the time.
Farmer forums Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had earlier called for 'Delhi Chalo-02' on 13 February last year, but were stopped by Haryana Police using tear gas shells. The farmers then began morchas at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, which were forcibly lifted by Punjab Police on 19 March this year.
