Khuddian seeks Agriculture Minister Chouhan’s intervention; bats for Centre-farmer talks

Punjab Agriculture 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 to break the impasse.

He told Chouhan that farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal is sitting on an indefinite hunger strike for the past 40 days at the Khanauri protest site in Punjab.

Khuddian told Chouhan that being a Union Agriculture Minister he should take personal interest in the matter.

On Saturday, Chouhan was addressing agriculture ministers of states during a pre-Budget meeting. Khuddian, who joined the meeting through video-conferencing, raised the matter related to the protesting farmers.

Khuddian also told Chouhan that the latter has remained Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

He said states have many hopes towards the Centre and hoped that he will make personal intervention and will contribute in the present matter.

Dallewal is on an indefinite hunger strike for 40 days over farmers’ various demands, including seeking a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Farmers, on a warpath against the BJP-led Centre over their demands, had last week called for a “Kisan Mahapanchayat” at Khanauri on Saturday.

The farmers, under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year, after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

Dallewal (70) has so far refused to take any medical aid despite his prolonged fasting, which has caused his health to deteriorate.

Asked about holding talks with the protesting farmers to end the logjam, the Union Agriculture Minister said on Wednesday that the government would act in accordance with the Supreme Court’s instructions on the ongoing farmers’ protest at the Punjab-Haryana border.

Farmer leaders had earlier said Dallewal had not eaten anything during his fast and was surviving only on water.