NEW DELHI: Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal entered its fiftieth day of indefinite fasting on Tuesday, pressing for a legal guarantee to minimum support price for crops.
Since November 26 last year, Dallewal, who serves as convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Apolitical), has been observing hunger strike on the Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana. He has systematically refused any medical assistance and his health has continually deteriorated.
Addressing the media, Dr Avtar Singh, who is part of a team of NGO ‘5 Rivers Heart Association’, said Dallewal’s health condition worsened on Monday night.
His blood pressure dropped and he vomited while lying in bed, the doctor said.
His condition is getting worse every day and anything can happen to him, he said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court said it would hear Dallewal’s plea, among others, on January 15.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh would hear a petition filed on behalf of Dallewal seeking directions to the central government to implement a proposal, including a legal guarantee of MSP on crops, made to protesting farmers in 2021 after of the farm. the laws were repealed.
The high court would also hear a contempt plea against the Punjab government authorities for failing to comply with directions issued regarding shifting Dallewal to a hospital on December 20 last year.
The apex court had asked the Center why the government could not say that its doors were open and that it would consider genuine grievances of farmers protesting against demands, including legal guarantee of minimum support price for crops.
On January 6, Dallewal met the panel appointed by the high court after the Punjab government said protesting farmers were persuaded to meet Justice (retd) Nawab Singh, who chairs the committee.
The farmers, under the banners of SKM and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year, after security forces stopped their march towards Delhi.
In September 2024, the high court formed the committee with an objective to amicably resolve the grievances of protesting farmers.
In its initial report, the panel pointed to several reasons for the agrarian difficulties, including stagnating yields, rising costs, debt and an inadequate marketing system.
Besides Justice (retd) Singh, the committee comprises retired IPS officer BS Sandhu, agriculture expert Devinder Sharma, Professor Ranjit Singh Ghuman and Dr Sukhpal Singh, agricultural economist at Punjab Agricultural University.