Dallewal writes to religious leaders, saints, urge them to press Centre to accept farmers' demands

Chandigarh, Jan 12 (PTI) Fasting Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Sunday wrote to several religious leaders and saints, urging them to impress upon the Central government to accept farmers' demands, which include a legal guarantee to minimum support price for crops.

Meanwhile, farmer leaders said the condition of Dallewal, whose fast-unto-death entered 48th day on Sunday, is "deteriorating." Dallewal, the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), has been on a hunger strike at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 last year.

Dallewal, who also heads the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), has so far refused to take any medical aid.

Addressing the media here, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said the SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha sent a letter, signed by Dallewal, to several religious leaders and saints.

In the letter, it was pointed out that farmers have been protesting at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points in support of their various demands for the past 11 months.

It said one farmer, Subhkaran Singh, died and several injured in police actions against their protest.

The letter also pointed out that a parliamentary panel has recently recommended a legal guarantee to MSP and said that it would "greatly benefit the farmers, rural economy and the country." The MSP guarantee law will increase the purchasing power of the farmers, which will greatly benefit the country's economy, the farmers said.

The farmers said that in the last 48 days, letters were written to the prime minister, the vice president and the Supreme Court judges, "but no one paid any attention to our letter nor responded to it." "History is a witness to the fact that whenever a government goes astray from the right path, saints and religious leaders have worked to bring the government to the right path.

"We request you to ask the present government to fulfill promises made to farmers so that the farmers can get their rights and suicides of farmers can be stopped," it said.

Meanwhile, Kohar said a group of farmers from Hisar in Haryana visited the Khanauri protest site in Dallewal's support.

Farmers, under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year, after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces. PTI CHS VN VN