His fast-unto-death has entered into 25th day on Friday with health deteriorating minute-by-minute; doctors say that his life is hanging by a thread, but no one in the power is caring for. Political circles raise the point, “Is Nero busy in playing flute? The Prime Minister, Narender Modi, has time to call his party MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput to inquire about their health, who just got injured in a push and shove, but has no time even to utter a lip sympathy towards the farmer leader, who is on the death bed.”
The farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal is on hunger strike for the common cause of the farmer community and the doctors have warned that the worsened health may even cause cardiac attack along with other bad effects, but the central government is behaving like a deaf and dumb king. Is the life of a farmer so cheap? The past history indicates so, while during the 13-month long farmers’ agitation more than 700 farmers lost their lives and the government is still ignoring their demands.
Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border since November 26 to press the Central government into accepting the agitating farmers’ demands, including the legal guarantee of MSP on crops. The Punjab farmers under the joint banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are staging a sit-on at the Punjab-Haryana border and are spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo march’ since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces. This, more than 10 months dharna, is the second longest sit-on after the 13 months dharna at Delhi border in 2020-21, which bowed down the central government to repeal the three anti-farmer agricultural laws and the Prime Minister himself had to apologize.
The Prime Minister, Narender Modi then said, “I apologise to the people of the country with true and pure heart… we were not able to convince farmers. There must have been some deficiency in our efforts that we could not convince some farmers.”
The farmers are demanding freedom from debt, legal guarantee for purchase of all crops on MSP on the basis of C-2+50%, pension for farmers and agriculture workers, withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment bill and resolution of other issues. The farmers’ unions are claiming time and again that the government had assured them to resolve their issues, but all in vain till date.
Support from all corners, but government not budging at all
The opposition parties, farmer unions and even the second highest constitutional post holder of the country have supported the demands of the farmers, but the government has become so adamant that it is not budging at all. Not to talk about the acceptance of their demands, the farmers are being stopped even from entering Haryana for their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by using teargas and water cannons in the chilling cold of December by the Haryana Police.
Showing his concern towards the aggrieved farmers, Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar has said, “If farmers are protesting today, it would be a big misunderstanding and mistake to assess that movement in a limited way. The farmers who are not on the road are also worried and troubled today.”
The Vice-President in his address on December 3,2024, at the Centenary Foundation Day of Indian Council of Agricultural Research -Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (ICAR-CIRCOT), Mumbai supported the MSP demand of the farmers and warned, “We are not practical, our policy making is not on the right track. Farmers need a law that guarantees MSP. Look with an open mind, think with an open mind, and evaluate. And it pains me that the well-wishers of the farmers are silent today, they shy away from speaking. No power in the country can stifle the voice of the farmers. A nation will pay a huge price, if it tries the patience of a farmer.”
The General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee, former Union Minister, and MP from Sirsa, Kumari Selja has expressed concern over the deteriorating health of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal. Kumari Selja said that the government must take appropriate steps in this regard and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate action to address the farmers’ demands. “The government seems unwilling to listen to the farmers. The government has turned the Punjab and Haryana borders into something akin to the India-Pakistan border. Instead of addressing the farmers’ issues, they are being met with water cannons and tear gas shells.”
Supporting Dallewal, Leader of the Opposition in Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa said. “The Congress party fully supports the farmers in their rightful demands. I urge every Punjab Congress worker to stand in solidarity with our farmers and contribute to this historic movement. Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s sacrifice reflects the indomitable spirit of our farming community. We are committed to ensuring their voices are heard and their rights are protected.”
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday appealed to the union government to accept the demands of the farmers, including making MSP a legal guarantee, to save the life of Kisan leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.
While raising the issue of the precarious health of the senior Kisan leader in parliament on Monday, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said,“A promise was made to constitute a committee which would consider all the demands of the farmers but despite the martyrdom of 700 farmers during the Kisan Andolan these demands have still not been accepted”.
Mrs Harsimrat Badal said it was unfortunate that despite directions by the Supreme Court to both the State and Centre to persuade Mr Dallewal to end his fast, the centre had deputed a low-level official who had nothing to offer and simply asserted he had come to hear the views of the farmers. She said urgent action was needed to save Mr Dallewal’s life and to do so the centre should accept his demands including those on MSP.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Working President Balwinder Singh Bhunder Thursday appealed to all political parties as well as Kisan organizations to work jointly to save the life of veteran Kisan leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.
Talking to newsmen after visiting the Kisan leader at Khanauri, Balwinder Bhunder said, “This is not the time to score brownie points by speaking in divergent voices. We should unite and appeal to the central government to accept the demands of Dallewal Sahab to pave the way for ending his fast unto death”.
Advising Punjab chief minister to take up the issue in all earnestness with the centre, Bhunder said, “The chief minister should call on the Prime Minister and impress upon the latter to do justice with farmers since the Prime Minister had assured that all the demands of the farmers, including making MSP a legal guarantee, would be accepted”.
Putting the ball into the centre’s court, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann advised the centre to set aside the stubbornness and listen to the farmers to address their grievances, “It is the responsibility of the central government to engage in dialogue with the farmers. Any issue can only be resolved through constructive conversation. The government must set aside its stubbornness and listen to the farmers.”
The umbrella body of farmers’ unions, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has also come forward to support Dallewal and has appealed the farmers across India for strong and massive protests in all districts on 23rd December 2024 to demand immediate discussions with all farmers’ organisations, end repression on farmers’ struggle at Punjab border, release jailed farmer leaders in Greater Noida and immediate withdrawal of the ‘New national Policy Framework on Agri Marketing’.
The members of the ‘AAP’ Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, during the session of Parliament, slammed the central government on entering the 25th day of hunger strike of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dalewal.
They said that there was no such anti-farmer government as BJP government in the country. Centre should sit down and solve the problems of farmers.
Why the PM is Keeping Mum?
The farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has written an open letter addressing the Prime Minister Modi on December 12, 2024 with his thumb impression shocked with his blood stating his firm stand that he would prefer to scarify his life for the farmers’ issues. In his letter in Hindi, Dallewal wrote to the PM, the gist is –”Honourable Prime Minister ji, ensuring MSP for every farmer is like his fundamental right to live. By denying legal guarantees of MSP, the central government is pushing the farmers towards poverty, debt and death. So, I have decided to sacrifice my life to stop the death of farmers. I hope the central government will awake from its long sleep after my martyrdom and proceed towards acceptance of our 13 demands including legal guarantee of MSP. Now you have two options—either you fulfil your 2011 promise by enacting law for legal guarantee of MSP or be ready to face my sacrifice through my fast unto death. But, respected PM ji, I want to clear that if I die, you will be responsible for my death, because being hurt due to the breach of repeated promises made by the central government to the farmers, I have gone on fast unto death.”
Vice-President Dhankhar had also warned the government for its lethargic attitude towards farmers, “We cannot fight with our own people, we cannot put our own people in a situation where they are wondering how long they will fight. We cannot have the mindset that their stay will be limited and they will get tired on their own.”
Despite criticism from all corners, deteriorating health condition of Dallewwal, his heart touching blood shocked letter and aggrieved voice of the second highest post holder Vice-President of India, Jag Deep Dhankhar, why the Prime Minister is keeping mum, is astonishing to everyone. It is forcing us to think – “Whether the PM has no kind heart for the people, whom he is ruling. Why is he ignoring the advice of the Vice-President of India? Does the Vice-President’s say have no weight in the eyes of the Prime Minister or he is raising the wrong issues?”
Will the Prime Minister heed to the advice of the Vice-President given to the agriculture minister, “The challenge for you is that when any government makes a promise and that promise is linked to the farmer, then we should never leave any stone unturned. The farmer is respectable for us, he is worth remembering in the dawn, he is always revered. I myself am a farmer’s son, I know what all the farmer does not bear, and he is our provider of food.”
Jag Mohan Thaken is a Senior Journalist, Columnist & Political Analyst, views are personal
