Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose fast-unto-death entered seventeenth day on Thursday, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that ensuring minimum support price to every farmer is like the fundamental right to live.
Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border since November 26 to press the Centre to accept demands including a legal guarantee to the MSP on crops.
Meanwhile, Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders Rakesh Tikait and Harinder Singh Lakhowal will visit the Khanauri border to meet Dallewal on Friday.
Punjab assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan urged the Union government to initiate meaningful dialogue with farmers to resolve their pressing issues.
At the Khanauri border, a doctor, who conducted Dallewal's medical checkup, said his condition is deteriorating and needs to be hospitalised.
As a result of the prolonged fast, he has become weak, the doctor said.
In a video message, Dallewal said this is a fight for MSP.
"This is a fight for saving the future of Punjab and its water," he said. "It is important to win this fight."
He also appealed to people to join the agitation in a large number.
"The government will come for talks when it comes to know that their agitation cannot be lifted and farmer leaders cannot be removed from the protest site," he said.
Later, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar released the letter written to the PM by Dallewal, who signed it with his blood.
In the letter, Dallewal mentioned that their agitation in support of various demands has been going on since February 13 at Khanauri and Shambhu border points between Punjab and Haryana.
"The demands on which our movement is going on are not just our demands but are promises made by governments at different times," the letter stated.
Dallewal expressed disappointment that the central government has not yet implemented the 'C2 plus 50' per cent formula as the Swaminathan Commission report.
He further wrote that the Centre had made many promises including ensuring MSP for every farmer after farmers held an agitation in 2020-21 but they were still not fulfilled.
"Ensuring MSP to every farmer is like the fundamental right to live. By not making a law on the MSP, the central government is pushing crores of farmers towards poverty, debt and death," wrote Dallewal.
"I have decided to sacrifice my life to stop the death of farmers. I hope that after my death, the central government will wake up from its slumber and move forward towards fulfilling our 13 demands including the law on MSP," he wrote.
Dallewal wrote if he dies, then its responsibility will be of the central government.
Punjab assembly Speaker Sandhwan called upon the Union government to initiate meaningful dialogue with farmers to resolve their pressing issues.
Stressing the need for sincerity and urgency, he appealed to the Centre to address farmers' demands, including legal guarantee for MSP and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations.
The Speaker also expressed grave concern over the health of farmer leader Dallewal.
"Despite being a cancer patient, Dallewal has continued his fast-unto-death protest, demanding swift government action," said Sandhwan as he urged the Centre to persuade Dallewal to end his hunger strike, emphasising the need to save his life.
He further called on farmers' organisations to devise a constructive approach to break the deadlock and seek a resolution to the ongoing protests.
Farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
A "jatha" (group) of 101 farmers under the banner of the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM made two attempts to enter Delhi on foot on December 6 and December 8. The farmers were not allowed to proceed by security personnel in Haryana.
They would now make another attempt to march on December 14.
The farmers had earlier attempted to march towards Delhi on February 13 and February 21 but were stopped by security forces deployed at the capital's border points.
Besides a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands
