Chandigarh, April 6: Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Sunday ended his hunger strike which he had started on November 26 last year to press for various demands of agitating farmers including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops.
The announcement came a day after Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu appealed to him to end his fast-unto-death.
Union Minister Bittu and Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema welcomed Dallewal’s decision.
At a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ organised at the grain market in Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, Dallewal said he had acceded to the request of the”sangat” to end his fast-unto-death and asserted that their fight for the legal guarantee on MSP for crops and other demands continues.
“You all have said (to me) to end the fast-unto-death. For me ‘sangat’ (people) is ‘rabb da roop’ (a form of God). I am indebted to you for looking after the agitation the way I had said. I respect your sentiments,” said Dallewal, who addressed the gathering from a stretcher.
“The ‘morcha’ (agitation) continues. Even today I do not want to end the indefinite fast but you have asked me time and again (to end fast) and I respect it. But I want an assurance that we will put up a stronger ‘morcha’. The fight is on. The MSP (guarantee) has to be taken and a bigger ‘morcha’ has to be put up. Do you agree on holding a bigger ‘morcha’,” he asked the gathering.
“The government is alert and it knows farmers can fight. The way you took care of the ‘morcha’, the government has seen it,” he said.
He asked those present to raise their hands in a show of support for the agitation. “Dear friends, your order is like a direction of God,” said Dallewal who was visibly emotional as the grain market reverberated with slogans of ‘Kisan Mazdoor Ekta Zindabad’ and ‘Sardar Jagjit Singh Dallewal Zindabad’.
Replying to questions from media persons, he later said farmer leaders will attend the meeting with the Centre on May 4.
“If we do not go to the meeting, then it (the government) will have an excuse that farmers did not come to put forth their demands,” he said.
Referring to the previous meetings with the central delegation, Dallewal claimed the government did not have any counter to their arguments made in support of their demands. (PTI)
