Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar has urged Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to end his hunger strike, which entered its 28th day on Monday. He accused other farmer leaders and politicians of furthering their personal interests, adding that such a protest in a border state can have “serious implications”.
“For the past 10 days, many leaders have met Dallewal at the Khanauri border and got their pictures clicked as well. However, no one is urging him to end his fast. Neither the farmer union leaders who are part of this protest not the ones who are not part of it are urging him to end his fast. His life is important…rather every life is important. His fast has served the purpose of getting his demands heard. The Supreme Court itself has intervened and said that they are worried about the life of Dallewal,” Jakhar told reporters at his Panchkula office.
The BJP leader said the Supreme Court had stated that farmers can directly address their concerns to the court, noting that he could not recall a previous instance where the apex court acknowledged a hunger strike.
Jakhar said the parliamentary standing committee had submitted a report on the farmers’ demand for legally guaranteed minimum support prices (MSP), suggesting that Dallewal should now end his fast. He urged all farmer union leaders to come to Khanauri and collectively appeal to the SKM leader to end his hunger strike.
“Even I appeal to Dallewalji that his life is important and he should therefore end his fast,” he added.
“People should stop doing politics over his hunger strike and focus on how to end his hunger strike. I heard that SKM (non-political) is going to hold a candle march on Tuesday evening. Why a candle march for an alive person? Are the politicians visiting Khanauri to derive political mileage? And to the farmer union leaders, is this a struggle of one upmanship to satisfy their own ego?” Jakhar said.
Jakhar said, “A few days ago SKM leaders met at Kisan Bhawan, Chandigarh, in which I heard that Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of BKU Ugrahan, spoke about the differences between the two forums protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders over their style of protest. I appeal to farmer union leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Sarwan Singh Pandher and all others to unite irrespective of their ideological differences and urge Dallewalji to end his hunger strike.”
Jakhar said that irreversible damage could occur if Dallewal continues his protest.
Asked why he has not visited Khanauri, Jakhar said, “If Pandher and other leaders have no objection to me visiting Khanauri, I will be more than willing to appeal to Dallewal genuinely. I don’t want anyone at the morcha to create a scene if BJP leaders are coming to meet him. However, still, if Dallewalji is listening to my voice, it is my appeal to him to end his hunger strike as his life is very important.”
‘Serious implications’
“The Supreme Court has already indicated that Punjab is a border state and this hunger strike can have serious implications. Already we saw that between November 23 and December 23, eight grenade attacks happened in Amritsar, Gurdaspur. On Monday, three people involved in this were killed in an encounter in Pilibhit. These series of events are already telling us that ISI is trying to create disturbance in Punjab,” Jakhar said.
“Let’s all make sincere efforts in ending the fast of Dallewal. His demands have reached the highest level now. Punjab can’t be left at the whims and fancies of the state government or at the mercy of the ISI. Punjab has already seen dark days in the past. My appeal to the CM (Bhagwant Mann) is that it is high time he became the advocate for farmers again..as he had announced in February. But I have heard that he is going to Australia. Your state is in emergency conditions and you are going to Australia?
Asked about the demand for a legal guarantee for MSP, the BJP leader said, “As a farmer and a politician, I myself have reservations about this demand. This is not beneficial for Punjab’s farmers. Ten months ago I asked farmers which crop they wanted to grow instead of wheat and paddy. Till date, they have not come out with an answer.”
The Punjab CM can ask Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini how had notified MSP for 24 crops. Why can’t the Punjab CM do the same, as he often says there is no dearth of funds in the state?”
Jakhar said he had also taken up the farmers’ demand at the highest level in the central government irrespective of his reservations about the call for legally guaranteed MSP.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader’s reaction
Sharply reacting to Jakhar’s statements, Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the SKM (non-political) said it was the BJP who was politicising Dallewal’s hunger strike. He suggested the state BJP leadership urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider the farmers’ demands.
“It is high time that the Punjab BJP took our demands to Delhi. There is a need to deflate the egos of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. One BJP minister (Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu) called us Taliban and another said that 700 girls went missing from the villages near Delhi borders where farmers’ protest was going on in 2020-21. So ask your own partymen what they think about us and why do they try to defame us? It is high time that the BJP leadership undertook a ‘Dilli Chalo’ to urge the PM to end his stubbornness and listen to the farmers. This will be a real effort to make Dallewalji end his fast,” Pandher said.
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