Hold talks so that things can move forward: Protesting farmers to Centre

The protesting farmers on Tuesday called on the Centre to hold a dialogue with them so that the trust deficit between the two sides is reduced and things can move forward.

The appeal came as farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s fast over the non-fulfilment of farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops, completed 36 days.

Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point, where the protesting farmers have been camping since February when their protest march towards Delhi was stopped by security personnel, between Punjab and Haryana.

Asked about the Supreme Court hearing on the farmers’ issue, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said, “We are analysing it. We will discuss with Dallewal ji. His fast unto death has completed 36 days... his health is deteriorating.”

“We hope constitutional bodies of our country will give necessary directions to the Centre to accept farmers’ demands,” he said.

The Punjab Government informed the Supreme Court that Dallewal has agreed to accept medical aid given the Centre accepts his proposal to hold talks.

Kohar issues can be resolved through dialogue.

“When our Prime Minister goes abroad, he says big issues can be resolved through talks. Farmers are citizens of this country and a dialogue should be held. What will happen with the dialogue is that the gulf of mistrust between the farmer community and the government will be reduced. When the mistrust ends, things can move forward,” he said.

On Tuesday, a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and Sudhanshu Dhulia took note of a plea moved by the Punjab Government seeking an additional three days to comply with the Supreme Court’s December 20 order, which put the onus on its officials and doctors to decide on Dallewal’s hospitalisation.

On December 28, the top court came down heavily on the Punjab Government for not moving Dallewal to a hospital even as it doubted the intention of the agitating farmers for resisting medical aid for the septuagenarian.

The Punjab Government said it faced huge resistance from the protesting farmers who had encircled Dallewal and prevented him from being taken to a hospital.

The top court blamed the Punjab Government for allowing the situation to aggravate and not doing enough to contain the situation.

The Supreme Court remarked the farmer leaders who did not allow Dallewal to be taken to a hospital were involved in the criminal offence of abetment to suicide.