Dallewal urges political parties to clear stand on legal guarantee of MSP

Chandigarh; Fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has written to all political parties, asking them to clear their stand on the issue of a legal guarantee to minimum support price for crops, farmer leaders said on Thursday.

The letter signed by Dallewal, who is the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), also urged all political parties to forget their differences and unite on the issue so that farmer suicides can be stopped.

Meanwhile, a team of government doctors examined Dallewal as they took his blood samples and performed his abdominal ultrasound.

The state government has deputed medical teams round-the-clock with two advanced life support ambulances stationed at the Khanauri protest site.

The medical teams from Rajindra Medical College and Mata Kaushalya Hospital, Patiala have been deployed by the Punjab government for the continuous care of Dallewal's health, said officials.

A makeshift hospital equipped with all emergency medicines and equipment has also been set up near the protest site, they said.

Dallewal has been on the indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 last year over farmers' various demands including a legal guarantee to MSP for crops. He has so far refused to take any medical aid.

Farmer leaders said Dallewal's condition is "critical".

Farmer leader Kaka Singh Kotra said Dallewal on Wednesday told him that he (Dallewal) has asked his family that if he dies, then his body should remain at the protest site.

Dallewal also asked farmers to continue with the protest in the event of his death, said Kotra.

Addressing the media at the Khanauri protest site, another farmer leader Abhmanyu Kohar said a letter signed by Dallewal was sent to all political parties, asking them to clear their stand on giving legal guarantee of MSP for crops.

"We have been sitting on the roads since February 13, 2024. We do not have any new demands but we are agitating to get the promises made by the governments at different times fulfilled," said the letter.

It was also pointed out that a parliamentary panel recently recommended legal guarantee to MSP.

The letter further said that the most unfortunate thing for the farmers in the country in the last 77 years has been that when a political party is in the opposition, it talks in the interest of the farmers, but when it comes to power, it forgets the promises made to them.

Dallewal's letter stated that he was mentally prepared to sacrifice his life to get the MSP guarantee law passed.

"But one thing we should keep in mind is that if an ordinary farmer like me is martyred to get the promises made to farmers fulfilled, then such a stain will be on the political class of our country that they will never be able to clean it," said the letter.

"After my martyrdom, historians will ask this question: Did the political parties (ruling and opposition) fulfil their responsibility properly when the farmers of the country were sitting on the roads in the freezing cold to get the MSP guarantee law passed," it said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Principal Secretary (Medical Education and Research) Kumar Amit, along with Patiala Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav and Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh visited the Khanauri border to meet Dallewal.

Farmers, under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13, after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

Inputs from PTI