An unprecedented crowd turned up for the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’, called by the leaders of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), at the Khanauri border to mark the 40th day of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s fast-unto-death to press for a legally guaranteed minimum support price (MSP), among other demands.
It was the largest crowd to gather during the ongoing farmers’ agitation since the 2020-21 protests against the now-scrapped farm laws. About a kilometre of the four-lane highway leading to Khanauri was packed with people, and the remaining three kilometres were jammed with the vehicles that brought them.
The current protest, which began on February 13, 2024 at Shambu and Khanauri borders with Haryana, completed 327 days on Saturday.
Until now, the agitation had been primarily issue-driven and heavily reliant on organisational machinery to mobilise people. But Saturday’s crowd, however, found new inspiration in 70-year-old Dallewal. Women were seen bowing their heads before posters with Dallewal’s image displayed on vehicles and many came merely to catch a glimpse of Dallewal, who arrived at the Mahapanchayat in an ambulance and was carried to the stage on a stretcher.
A solemn silence enveloped the gathering as Dallewal began his speech. In a feeble voice, he addressed the crowd while laying on a bed. For some time, Dallewal was also accompanied on stage by his 8-year-old grandson.
“I am not fighting for myself. It is all the will of the Almighty. One night, the police tried to remove me, but youth from Punjab and Haryana arrived in large numbers and stood guard. You have gathered in such great numbers. This is all the will of the Almighty. I am confident we will win. No matter how much power the government uses to defeat us, they won’t succeed,” Dallewal said.
“I know all about the World Trade Organisation and have studied it. I understand this is a difficult task, but we cannot give up just because it’s tough,” he added.
Speaking on farmer suicides, he said, “The Supreme Court committee reported that four lakh farmers have committed suicide, but our data shows the number is seven lakh. Should we let them continue to die? We are farmers’ leaders, yet nothing has been done to stop these suicides.”
“A few days ago, the Supreme Court said a mine worker’s life is precious. But what about the children of those seven lakh farmers who committed suicide? Their children are suffering. No farmer should die in the future. That’s why I feel I must sacrifice for this cause,” Dallewal added.
Addressing farmer leaders across the country, he said, “During the first phase of the agitation in 2021, other states complained that (farmers from) Punjab withdrew after repealing the three farm laws, but failed to secure an MSP guarantee. Now, Punjab is back on the battlefield. It is the responsibility of farmers’ leaders from other states to unite and put pressure on the government, proving that this agitation is not just Punjab’s but belongs to the whole country. Every state in India needs MSP. Punjab needs MSP to protect its groundwater.”
“The way you have gathered today, each village must send at least one tractor-trolley to the agitation so that the government doesn’t attack the protest site. I thank you all for coming,” Dallewal said as he concluded his speech.
During his speech, he stopped to ask for water a few times. But when his doctor asked him to stop due to high blood pressure, he refused and continued to speak. A cancer patient, Dallewal has so far refused to take any medical aid despite his deteriorating condition.
While Shubkaran Singh, a farmer from the Bathinda district who was allegedly shot dead during farmers’ efforts to march towards Delhi from Khanauri, had initially become the poster child for the agitation, Dallewal has now joined him as the face of the movement amid his growing popularity.
“He is only taking water. Initially, he was consuming four litres daily, but now it’s down to two-and-a-half litres. Doctors have told us that only 30% of his body mass remains,” said Sarwan Singh Pandher, the second-most prominent leader of the agitation, to The Indian Express.
While addressing the crowd, Pandher said that there are now only two paths forward. “Either we win, or Jagjit Singh Dallewal sacrifices. There is no third option. We will not return without victory,” Pandher said.
The crowd at the Mahapanchayat, however, was not limited to members of farmers’ unions. Paramjit Kaur, who came to Khanauri from the Hansari village near Patiala district’s Patran, said, “I belong to Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan faction), but I am here today to support Dallewal. He is fighting for us. Once again, all unions must unite. This unity helped us win in 2021 and will ensure our victory again.”
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