Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Monday made it clear that the ongoing farmers’ agitation is far from over, asserting that the struggle will continue until the Central Government formally accepts all demands, particularly the legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Dallewal, addressing reporters a day after ending his 130-day hunger strike, said that farmer unions would participate in the May 4 talks with Central representatives, making it clear that they would not give the government an excuse to claim farmers were unwilling to engage.
“We will attend the meeting and strongly put forth our demands,” said Dallewal, who is a key leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM). The decision on the agitation's future strategy will be finalized in a joint meeting of both forums in the coming days, he added.
The farmer leader was discharged from a Khanna hospital on Monday, a day after breaking his indefinite fast following appeals from his supporters at a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Fatehgarh Sahib. He reiterated that despite vacating protest sites, the agitation is “very much alive”.
The protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points — major flashpoints in the renewed farmers’ stir — had continued for over a year before being forcefully cleared by police on March 19, following a failed meeting between farmer leaders and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
“Kisan Mahapanchayats are being held across Punjab, and will soon be organized in Haryana and Rajasthan as part of the movement,” said Abhimanyu Kohar, another senior leader.
The leaders emphasized that the crackdown, arrests, and dismantling of protest sites will not deter their movement. The demand for a legally binding MSP law, among others, remains non-negotiable.
Dallewal Hospitalized After Sudden Illness in Barnala
Senior farmer leader Dallewal was rushed to a private hospital in Barnala after he complained of severe abdominal pain during a Kisan Mahapanchayat at Dhanaula Mandi.
Bhartiya Kisan Union’s (Sidhupur) president Ranjit Singh said that Dallewal’s condition deteriorated during the rally, prompting immediate medical attention. He was admitted to a local hospital where doctors are currently treating him.
A day earlier, Dallewal had been discharged from a hospital in Khanna and had gone straight to attend the farmer gathering in Dhanaula, where his health took another hit.
Dallewal had been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past 131 days in support of farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP). He ended his fast on Sunday at a Mahapanchayat in Fatehgarh Sahib following appeals from fellow farmers and the public. Doctors are monitoring his condition, and further updates are awaited.
