Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast since November 26 last year, drank a glass of water on Friday morning after the release of all arrested farmer leaders but denied ending the hunger strike.
Dallewal had stopped drinking water since March 19 in protest against the Punjab government’s crackdown on farmers after talks with a central delegation in Chandigarh ended in a deadlock. Though he took a glass of water at the private hospital in Patiala, where he is admitted since March 23, his supporters denied he had called off the fast.
Though Dallewal was unavailable for comment, SKM (Non-Political) leader Sukhjeet Singh Hardojhande said while Dallewal had resumed drinking water, his indefinite hunger strike continued. “Dallewal has only taken a glass of water. His fast unto death, which he started on November 26, remains unchanged,” Hardojhande said.
Responding to Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh’s statement in the Supreme Court that Dallewal had ended his fast, he said: “The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab only lies. This is completely false information. First, they denied that Dallewal was being illegally detained at the hospital, and now they are lying in the Supreme Court.”
Another farmer leader and aide of Dallewal, Abhimanyu Kohar, also dismissed the reports of fast being called off. “This is entirely false news. Dallewal has only taken water and minimal medical aid, which he has been receiving throughout his fast. His hunger strike continues,” Kohar said.
Meanwhile, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee chief Sarwan Singh Pandher reiterated that the farmers’ fight for a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) would continue. He said that after discussions within both the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), they would announce their next course of action soon.
Following his release from Muktsar jail on Friday morning, Pandher said that farmers would first assess the losses suffered during the March 19 crackdown. “A committee will be formed to trace the stolen tractor-trailers,” he said.
Criticising chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Pandher alleged that the police crackdown was proof of the AAP government’s anti-farmer stance. “It is now evident that the Mann government is against farmers. They are no different from the BJP,” he added.
