Tell Centre to accept farmers’ demands, Dallewal urges SC

On a day when the Supreme Court left it to the Punjab Government officials and doctors to decide on the hospitalisation of fasting farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, he issued strict instructions to SKM (Non-Political) leaders not to allow anyone to remove him from the protest site till all demands of farmers were fulfilled.

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Dallewal, meanwhile, wrote a letter to the Supreme Court urging it to direct the Centre to enact a law guarantying MSP. The letter was sent to the SC through email and by post. He has asserted in the letter that the enactment of an MSP law is a must to prevent suicides by farmers.

Lakhwinder Singh Aulakh, state president of the Bharatiya Kisan Ekta (BKE), Haryana, said Dallewal told them that he was prepared to sacrifice his life. If anyone succeeded in getting him removed from the protest site, it would be a failure of the morcha leaders and volunteers. Aulakh said they had put in place six-tier security around Dallewal and would not allow anyone to remove him from the protest site at any cost.

The state government has set up a temporary emergency hospital in a building around 500 m away from the Khanauri protest site. An ambulance with all modern facilities, including a ventilator, has been parked in front of the hospital to provide immediate medical assistance to Dallewal, if needed. A team of doctors also remains present there round the clock. Doctors have expressed concern over the deteriorating health condition of Dallewal. He needs to be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), but he is not even taking any medicine. Anything can happen any time, said a doctor.

Gurinder Singh Bhangu, state president of the Sher e Punjab Kisan Union, said the SKM (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, on Friday urged the Punjab and Haryana governments to reject the draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing as it would destroy the mandi system. They also appealed to all political parties to unite on the issue of MSP law.

In solidarity with Dallewal’s indefinite fast, six farmers from Haryana, Rajinder Singh, Surinder Singh, Dalbir Singh, Baljit Singh, Baljinder Singh and Ravinder Singh, began a 24-hour fast on Friday.

The Revenue Kanungo Association, Punjab, held prayers for the good health of Dallewal and appealed to the governments to resolve the demands of the farmers soon.