A ray of hope emerged at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points on Saturday when the central government extended a proposal to protesting farmers, raising expectations of a breakthrough in their year-long standoff. Farmer leader Kaka Singh Kotra confirmed receiving the proposal and said, “The leaders of both the forums are discussing it and we will respond soon.” However, the content of the proposal remains undisclosed.
This development comes after a two-hour meeting between officials of the Union Agriculture Ministry, headed by joint secretary Priya Ranjan, and farmers’ representatives. Ranjan also visited ailing farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose indefinite hunger strike has entered its 54th day. “We urge him to accept medical help and break his fast to participate in the February 14 meeting in Chandigarh,” Ranjan told reporters.
Dallewal’s health raises alarm bells
Dallewal, the leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Apolitical), has lost 20 kg during his fast and is in a critical condition. Rejecting medical intervention, he has become the symbolic face of the protest, which centers on demands for a legal guarantee of Minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
Adding to the urgency of the situation, 10 more farmers joined the hunger strike on Saturday, bringing the total number of fasting protesters to 121. Kotra reported that one of the strikers vomited blood, highlighting the dire state. of your health.
The protests enter their second year
Farmers under the banners of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Apolitical) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping on the Punjab-Haryana border since February 13, 2023. Denied permission to march to Delhi, they have stood firm, pushing for their demands despite four rounds of inconclusive talks with the Center last year.