Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Sunday ended his hunger strike, which he had launched on November 26 last year, to press for key demands of protesting farmers, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The announcement came a day after Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu publicly appealed to him to call off his indefinite fast.
Dallewal, who addressed a large gathering at a 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' in Sirhind's grain market in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib district, stated that while he was ending the fast, their struggle for justice and farmer rights would continue.
Addressing the crowd from a stretcher, Dallewal said that the decision to end his fast was made out of respect for the sentiments of the farming community, whom he described as divine.
He stressed that the movement was far from over and called upon the farmers to strengthen their agitation, asserting that a stronger 'morcha' (protest front) would be needed to force the government to meet their demands. Seeking the support of the gathering, he asked for a show of hands and received thunderous support amid chants praising the farmers' unity and Dallewal’s leadership.
The hunger strike, which lasted for 130 days, brought widespread attention to the ongoing farmers' agitation. It gained even more prominence after Punjab Police cracked down on protesting farmers last month, detaining their leaders in Mohali following a meeting with the Union agriculture minister in Chandigarh.
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The crackdown included the eviction of protestors and dismantling of temporary structures at key border protest points such as Shambhu and Khanauri.
Dallewal's deteriorating health during the fast had raised serious concerns. He had refused medical assistance until the government gave in to the demands, and a team of doctors had been stationed at the protest site to monitor his condition.
His health became a subject of legal concern as well, with the Supreme Court expressing its interest and tasking Punjab officials and medical personnel with responsibility for his well-being.
A high-powered committee, headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Nawab Singh and appointed by the apex court, had visited Dallewal at the protest site to persuade him to accept medical treatment.
Despite starting to receive medical assistance after talks with the Centre began in January, Dallewal had continued his fast until Sunday. He is a senior leader of the joint platform formed by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which were leading the ongoing agitation.
He is also the president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), an organisation active in raising various farmer issues including crop compensation, delayed payments, and farmer suicides.
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Dallewal, who hails from Dallewal village in Faridkot district, has been part of several farmer protests over the years. He had previously undertaken fasts in March 2018, January 2019, January 2021, November 2022, and June 2023 in support of agrarian issues. In a symbolic move before launching his indefinite fast last year, he transferred ownership of his 17-acre farmland to his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.
His organisation, BKU (Ekta Sidhupur), was originally part of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which spearheaded the 2020 protests against the now-repealed farm laws.
However, Dallewal’s group parted ways after differences arose when SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal entered politics by forming the Samyukta Samaj Morcha for the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. Dallewal later initiated a non-political version of SKM to continue the farmers' cause without entering electoral politics.
As the protest continues, Dallewal’s decision to end his fast is being seen as a strategic move to revitalise and reorganise the movement for a renewed push toward their long-standing demands.
Also Read: Punjab: SKM leader Dallewal vows to rebuild farmers' protest
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