Farmers’ Protest: Dallewal On Day 19 Of Fast Unto Death, 'Lives Of Farmers Dying By Suicide More Valuable'
Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, fasting for 19 days, said he values farmers' lives lost to government policies over his own. He seeks a legal guarantee of MSP and debt waiver for farmers.
Chandigarh, Dec 14 (PTI) Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose fast unto death entered the 19th day on Saturday, said the lives of those farmers, who are committing suicide because of the alleged wrong policies of governments, is more valuable than his.
His remark came a day after the Supreme Court directed the Centre and Punjab government representatives to immediately meet him, provide him with medical help and persuade him to break his indefinite fast saying his life was precious.
Seventy-year-old Dallewal, a cancer patient, has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP on crops.
The doctors have already recommended his hospitalization, saying he has turned weak because of the prolonged fast.
During his brief address to the media at Khanauri, Dallewal thanked the apex court for expressing concern over his health.
"The honourable Supreme Court says that my life is more valuable than the agitation. But I believe that the lives of those farmers, who are committing suicide due to the wrong policies of the government are more valuable than my life," said Dallewal.
So far, seven lakh farmers have committed suicides in the country, said Dallewal, who is the president of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur).
He said the farmers' suicides can be stopped only if the Central government ensures legal guarantee of MSP, which should be fixed as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report and also a farm debt waiver.
Dallewal further said he is ready to sacrifice his life to get the farming community its rights.
He said the Supreme Court should issue an order to the Central government to fulfill the demands of farmers as soon as possible.
Dallewal had earlier on Thursday written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that ensuring minimum support price to every farmer is like the fundamental right to live.
"I have decided to sacrifice my life to stop the death of farmers. I hope that after my death, the Central government will wake up from its slumber and move forward towards fulfilling our 13 demands, including the law on MSP," Dallewal wrote in the letter.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Bajrang Punia visited the Shambhu border point and expressed his dismay over the farmers not being allowed to march towards Delhi.
Punia, a wrestler who joined the Congress ahead of the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls, also criticised teargas shelling and use of water cannons against the protesting farmers by the Haryana security personnel.
He also inquired about the health of the injured farmers at the civil hospital in Rajpura.
"The farmers, who feed the entire nation are being oppressed today. Is this the government's 'kisan samman'? When raising voice for one's rights becomes a crime, then what is the meaning of democracy?" Punia wrote on X.
The farmers under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by the security forces.
Besides a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt 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 are also part of their demands.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
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