By Dr. Gyan Pathak
Deteriorating health condition of the farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been fast-unto-death hunger strike since November 26, 2024, has become a matter of serious concern, since he has been willing to end his hunger strike if Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government agrees for talks on farmers demand, but the Centre has shown no willingness yet. On the 51st day of Dallewal’s hunger strike on January 15, 2025,Khanauri border has turned tense with another 111 farmers joining him on fast-unto-death.
As opposed to the Punjab side of the Khanauri border, there is a heavy deployment of security forces by the BJP led Haryana government blocking their road to Delhi. Farmers have been on sit-in protest there since February 13, 2024 when they were stopped from marching to Delhi to press for their demands, the chief among them was a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Modi led government has been asserting that they have been providing MSP at remunerative rates to farmers, but has not conceding the legal guarantee for the same, which has created a great suspicion among the farmers. The Centre has not been showing even any interest in beginning talks with the farmers on their demand.
It has a political ramification which is felt more by the Punjab unit of the BJP, a delegation of which had met Akal Takht Jathedar last week and expressed concern over Dellewal’s deteriorating health and requested the supreme Sikh body Akal Takht’s Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh to intervene and give a direction to Dallewal to end his fast, since Dallewal is also a Sikh.
In response to the BJP Punjab Unit delegation’s request to Akal Takht, Dallewal said, “I respect the Akal Takht. But the Punjab BJP should approach Modiji, the Vice President, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Home Minister Amit Shah ji,” if they want me to end may fast-unto-death. Dallewal was willing to end his fast-unto-death if Centre agree for a talk on farmers’ demands.
In the history of fast-unto-death hunger strikes of India, the second leg of farmers movement has entered a sensitive phase breaking past records. Dallewal’s fast-unto-death hunger strike is now one among the longest. Number of peoples, now 112 farmers, sitting on fast-unto-death at any place in independent India is perhaps the largest.
Supreme Court of India has also shown its concern about the deteriorating health of Dallewal. On January 15, a bench comprised of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh has given direction to the Government of Punjab to furnish a complete set of comparative medical reports of the farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal for an independent evaluation for his deteriorating health condition by the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
Supreme Court bench was skeptic bout the report of the Chief Secretary of Punjab who said that Dallewal’s platelet count and haemoglobin levels had improved, which prompted the bench to give the fresh direction.
Supreme Court has been hearing a contempt petition against Punjab’s chief secretary and DGP over the ineffective handling of Dallewal’s hospitalisation and the prolonged blockade at the border points which Haryana at Shambhu and Khanauri. Haryana has been keeping both the points blocked since February 13, 2024, so that the farmers can not march to Delhi for pressing on their demand from the PM Narendra Modi government.
Supreme Court had appointed a high-powered committee in September 2024 to mediate and propose reforms, but solution remains elusive. In one of its hearings, the court had even reprimanded Punjab for failing to hospitalize Dallewal describing the situation as a “failure of law-and-order machinery” and “abetment to suicide.”
The court was informed by Punjab on January 6, that some farmers agreed to meet justice (retired) Nawab Singh, the chairperson of the court-appointed committee, however, deadlock persists, because farmers body remains firm on their demands. Only a week earlier on December 31, the vacation bench was informed by Gurminder Singh, the Advocate General of Punjab, “As per the negotiators, there is a proposal given by the farmers to the Central Government that if they get an invite for a talk, then Mr Dallewal is ready to take medical aid as desired,” adding that the farmers were in “siege” of the area and there are constant calls to the youth to join the protest site.”
This second leg of the farmers agitation is led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. They had given a call for Delhi March on February 13, 2024 from Punjab. Farmers were stopped at Shambhu and Khanauri order. Since then, farmers have been there in sit-in protest.
The second leg of farmers agitation has begun since farmers have been feeling cheated on account of their demand remains unmet despite Centre’s assurances on which the first leg of farmers movement of 2020-21 was called off. PM Narendra Modi had withdrawn the three controversial farm laws in November 2021, since repeal of the laws was the chief demand of the agitating farmers led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM).
Now the Centre has come out with a Draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, against which farmers’ unions are up in arms again alleging that it is an effort of bringing the withdrawn three farm laws through backdoor. It has added another suspicion in the farmers’ psyche that Modi government has been trying to bring Corporate to farms. SKM (non-political) and KMM leaders have said, “We will further intensity our agitation if the government continues its indifferent attitude.” (IPA Service)