Dallewal Accepts Medical Aid upon Talks Assurance with Govt.

On 18 Jan, Union govt. officials visited Khanauri, Panjab-Haryana interstate border where farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal was on Day 54 of his hunger strike demanding legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops, across India. Once the Union govt. invited Dallewal and other farm leaders for talks on 14 Feb—citing the Delhi elections for the delay—Dallewal accepted medical aid. On 15 Jan, 121 farmers, including 10 farmers from Haryana, had joined Dallewal’s fast-unto-death pledge. They too ended their fast. On the Shambhu interstate border, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had announced another foot march to Delhi by 101 farmers, but postponed it until talks with the Union govt. had concluded. The plan for a Tractor March on 26 Jan, India’s Republic Day, still stands. Meanwhile, Haryana’s khap panchayats (village council of elders) announced their conditional formal support for the farmers’ protest in Panjab, insisting they will only join the agitation if all farmer unions unite on a single platform (WD Vol 3, Issue 3, Story 2). Panjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar has challenged the demand for MSP for all farmers all over the country saying Panjab farmers would squander their special advantage because the provision for MSP was introduced specifically to procure wheat and rice from Panjab and Haryana. He urged Panjab’s AAP govt. to call an emergency Assembly session to debate the matter. Amid these developments, arrest warrants have been issued against 25 members of the Bharti Kisan Union(Krantikari) and Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union in connection with the 5 Jan 2022 alleged security breach involving Indian PM Narendra Modi. In that incident, farmers were over a kilometer away from PM Modi’s cavalcade but the state’s AAP has chosen to file charges now after three years.