Kanauri, 4 January 2025: Farm union activists braved severe cold and dense fog to gather at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border for a key kisan mahapanchayat, where farmer leader Jagjeet Singh Dallewal is set to address the crowd.
The leader, whose indefinite hunger strike entered its 40th day on Saturday, has been at the forefront of protests since February 13, 2023, demanding a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) on crops.
The protesters, united under the banners of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been at the site for nearly a year, pressing the government for various agricultural demands, with a focus on the legal MSP guarantee.
Dallewal, in a statement issued before the mahapanchayat, appealed to fellow farmers: “Those who are part of the fight for a legal guarantee to the MSP must reach Khanauri as I want to have your darshan.”
The mahapanchayat is taking place amid ongoing developments surrounding Dallewal’s health.
Earlier, the Supreme Court has directed the Punjab government to submit a compliance report by January 6 regarding its December 20 order to provide medical aid to Dallewal.
However, despite repeated offers, the fasting leader has refused any medical intervention, insisting that the Centre must first engage in talks with the protesting farmer unions. So far, no such meeting has taken place.
Also, Punjab government has formed a medical board of super specialists from Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. The board has warned that Dallewal’s liver and kidney functions are already compromised, urging immediate hospitalization to address the critical condition caused by the prolonged fast.