Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Monday declared that the ongoing farmers' agitation would continue until the government agrees to all their demands, particularly the legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
He confirmed that farmer leaders would participate in the proposed May 4 talks with representatives of the central government, emphasising that they did not want to give the government an excuse to claim that the farmers were unwilling to engage in dialogue. “We will attend the meeting and we will strongly put forth our demands,” he asserted.
Dallewal, who recently ended his indefinite hunger strike after 130 days, stated that the future course of action would be decided in a joint meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), of which he is a senior leader. These two groups have been leading the agitation together under a common platform.
The SKM (Non-Political) and KMM had spearheaded the farmers’ protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana for over a year.
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The protests at these sites had begun after security forces prevented farmers from marching to Delhi to press for their demands. On March 19, however, the police cleared the protest sites, removing sit-in structures and dispersing the agitators.
On Sunday, during a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ held in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, Dallewal announced that he had ended his fast-unto-death following repeated appeals from the “Sangat” (community). He was discharged from a private hospital in Khanna on Monday, a day after being admitted for a medical check-up.
Speaking to the media in Khanna, Dallewal reiterated that the agitation was far from over. He made it clear that the protest would go on until the government fulfills all their demands, especially the legal backing for MSP. He also noted that 'Kisan Mahapanchayats' were currently being held in various parts of Punjab as part of the larger protest movement.
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Responding to questions about future plans, Dallewal said a joint meeting of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM would be held soon to decide the next strategy for the movement. Regarding the upcoming May 4 meeting with the Centre, he confirmed that farmer representatives would be present and would firmly present their case.
Another farmer leader, Abhimanyu Kohar, also underlined the unwavering resolve of the movement, saying the struggle would persist until all demands are met. He mentioned that similar ‘Kisan Mahapanchayats’ were planned in Haryana and Rajasthan to sustain momentum and solidarity across states.
Dallewal’s decision to end his hunger strike came more than two weeks after a crackdown by the Punjab Police, who detained several farmer leaders in Mohali following their return from a meeting with a Central delegation headed by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh.
That March 19 meeting was convened to address core farmer demands, particularly the MSP guarantee. On the same day, police also evicted protestors and dismantled temporary shelters at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, effectively dispersing the long-standing sit-ins.
Also Read: Dallewal ends 130-day fast, vows to continue farmers' fight
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