What did the Supreme Court say on Dallewal’s health?
New Delhi:
Jagjit Singh Dallewal is on hunger strike since 26 November. The condition of 70 year old Dallewal is worsening day by day. Doctors have said that if Dallewal continues on hunger strike like this, his life is in danger, but he is not ready to accept it. Dallewal is a farmer leader, who is on hunger strike for many demands including MSP. The matter of Dallewal’s health has reached the Supreme Court. The Punjab government was given time till December 31 to persuade farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on indefinite hunger strike, to be taken to the hospital. Punjab government now has only one day’s time.
Who is Dallewal?
It was on the call of Jagjit Singh Dallewal that thousands of farmers of Punjab took to the streets to protest. Dallewal is the president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhpur). Jagjit Singh Dallewal is a resident of Dallewal village in Faridkot, Punjab. He is an educated farmer. Farming is their ancestral work. Dallewal completed his postgraduation from Punjabi University and then got involved in farming. His Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhpur) is an organization formed after separating from the United Kisan Morcha (SKM) in 2022 itself. This organization is made up of 150 farmer unions, which are not involved in politics.
What did the Supreme Court say on Dallewal’s health?
In an unprecedented hearing, a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and Sudhanshu Dhulia in the Supreme Court rapped the Punjab government for allowing the situation to deteriorate and not following its earlier directions to provide medical aid to Dallewal. Dallewal is on hunger strike since November 26 and his condition is continuously deteriorating. The Punjab government expressed its inability to take Dallewal to the hospital, saying that it was facing resistance from the protesting farmers, who had surrounded Dallewal and were not allowing him to be taken to the hospital.
What are the demands of the farmers
- Dallewal has been fasting unto death at the Khanauri border since November 26 to put pressure on the central government over various demands of farmers, including legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
- One of the most prominent demands of farmers is legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP). MSP is the minimum price at which the government buys crops from farmers. Farmers believe that with the guarantee of MSP, their income will be assured and they will get fair prices for their crops.
- Withdrawal of agricultural laws: Farmers had opposed the three new agricultural laws brought by the Central Government in 2020. Farmers feared that these laws would drive them out of the markets and they would become victims of exploitation by big corporate houses. Therefore, farmers are demanding withdrawal of these laws.
- A large part of the farmers are drowned in debt. Farmers demand that the government waive their loans.
- Farmers need electricity for irrigation. Farmers demand that electricity rates should be reduced so that their farming costs can be reduced.
- Farmers’ crops are destroyed due to natural disasters like floods, drought etc. Farmers demand that the government strengthen the crop insurance scheme so that they can get compensation for losses caused by natural disasters.
- Farmers believe that big traders and middlemen do not give fair prices to the farmers. Farmers demand that the government should intervene in the market to provide fair prices to the farmers.
