CHANDIGARH: Addressing the Kisan Mahapanchayat at the Khanauri border (Punjab-Haryana border), farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Saturday said that he is more concerned about the lives of his fellow farmers who are "reeling under distress" due to the challenges in the sector.
"My life is not as important as the lives of lakhs of Indian farmers, who are reeling under distress. Already over seven lakh farmers have died by suicide owing to the distress in the farming sector," Dallewal said.
Addressing a massive gathering of farmers, Dallewal on the 40th day of his fast-unto-death, urged them to ensure representation from every village at the Khanauri border, where farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at since February 13 last year, after their march to Delhi was stopped by Haryana Police.
"The way you have come today in numbers. Now, from every village one trolley should reach Khanauri to strengthen this Morcha," Dallewal said.
Speaking of his fast, a fragile Dallewal said that the police made several attempts to take him to the hospital, but they were foiled by the volunteers.
"The night we got information that police can evict us, the same night scores of youths reached Khanauri from Punjab and Haryana and took charge of the morcha," the leader said while lying on a bed at the stage and taking occasional breaks to sip water.
Dallewal, who is the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), has so far refused to take any medical aid despite his prolonged fasting to press the demand for MSP, which has caused his health to deteriorate.
The Supreme Court has recently slammed the Punjab government for not moving Dallewal to a hospital considering his deteriorating health and directed medical aid to be provided to him immedietly. It however clarified that the order was not intended to break Dallewal's fast.
"The Supreme Court recently said that Dallewal's life is important. I had said that day hon'ble Supreme Court I am also human, alright, but what about families of those 7 lakh farmers who have committed suicide. We have to stop suicides in future," Dallewal emphasised.
Thanking the protesting farmers for their steadfast support, Dallewal urged them to remain united in the struggle.
The 70-year old leader's words resonated with the audience, drawing loud cheers and renewed pledges of commitment to the movement. There was a massive turn up of crowd at the Mahapanchayat to listen to Dallewal as hours before he underwent an ECG test and his report was stated to be normal.
Meanwhile, doctors attending Dallewal advised that he should not speak much as it could deteriorate his health.
According to sources, bringing him on the stage amid the cold wave was a challenge as his blood pressure was fluctuating. A makeshift cubical was built on the stage from where Dallewal addressed the gathering.
The venue of the mahapanchayat was spread over a four-kilometer stretch along the highway in Khanauri, which is otherwise known as truck scrap yard of Punjab which was transformed into a bustling tent city.
With a Supreme Court order directing the Punjab government to hospitalise Dallewal immediately, the farmers, in a stunning show of solidarity, fortified the area at Khanauri with over 100 trailers parked next to each other and some even welded together.
Besides, some 700 farmers also give thikri pehra (night vigil) and have set up three checkpoints to monitor and control access to the area. Anti-fog torches were given to volunteers to keep an eye around the pandal where Dallewal was fasting.
Dallewal also condoled the death of three women in an accident while travelling to attend a parallel Mahapanchayat held at Tohana.
The women, members of BKU Ekta Ugrahan, were killed and 36 others sustained injuries when the bus they were travelling to SKM Mahapanchayat in Tohana in Haryana met with an accident at Barnala in Punjab.
The three deceased women were identified as Sarbjit Kaur (55), Balbir Kaur (67) and Jabir Kaur, all residents of Kotha Guru village in Bathinda.
In another accident, five activists of BKU (Sidhupur) were injuried when their bus met with an accident near Barnala while on way to Khanauri to participate in the Kisan Mahapanchayat.
After attending the Kisan Mahapanchayat in Tohana, BKU national spokesperson Rakesh Tikai said that the next farmers' agitation will be on the KMP Expressway to block Delhi as a broad outline on this has been prepared for that.
Meanwhile, Punjab Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Saturday sought Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's personal intervention urging that the Centre should hold a dialogue with the protesting farmers at the earliest to break the impasse.
Pointing out the hunger strike of Dallewal, Khuddian said being a Union agriculture minister, Chouhan should take a personal interest in the matter.
During a virtual meeting, Chouhan on Saturday reviewed various schemes with state agriculture ministers and sought their suggestions on ongoing programmes and budget allocation ahead of the Union Budget.
Punjab's Agriculture Minister Khuddian, who joined the meeting through video-conferencing, raised the matter related to the protesting farmers and some other issues.
According to a Punjab government statement, Khuddian said, it is imperative that the Centre should take immediate action to address the grievances of farmers and save Dallewal's life.
He reiterated that the Punjab Government supports the farmers' legitimate demands, it said.
Asked about holding talks with the protesting farmers to end the logjam, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday that the government will act in accordance with the Supreme Court's instructions on the ongoing farmers' protest at the Punjab-Haryana border.
Besides a legally guaranteed MSP, the 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.
(With inputs from PTI)
