4 min readLudhianaJan 21, 2025 04:05 AM IST
First published on: Jan 20, 2025 at 04:17 PM IST
Sarwan Singh Pandher, the coordinator of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and SKM (non-political), on Monday appealed to the Centre to advance its meeting with farmers to discuss their demands – currently scheduled for February 14 – and hold it in Delhi instead of Chandigarh.
Citing the worsening condition of farmers’ leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike since November, Pandher said, “February 14 is too far away. He (Dallewal) has started taking medical assistance but is not eating food. Hence, when the meeting happens on February 14, it will be day 87 of his hunger strike and being a senior citizen and a cancer patient…it is too risky for him to remain in this state for so long. So the government should hold a meeting early and that too in Delhi.”
He added, “I don’t buy this argument of Model Code of Conduct in place in Delhi because if the 8th Pay Commission’s announcements can be done during model code, why can’t a meeting be held… The elections are for Delhi… Hence the model code is a vague reason to delay the meeting inordinately.”
Pandher also appealed to SKM (non-political) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) leaders to urge Dallewal to break his fast so he can be in good health for the meeting.
“Regarding our plan to send another jatha of 101 farmers towards Shambhu border on January 22, we have postponed it to January 26. We will be doing a tractor rally on January 26 and will take a call later about the jatha. Our struggle, however, will continue till the demands are met,” he said.
Earlier, Pandher had alleged that a few central government officers were trying to “play a divide-and-rule game” between farmer unions and had vowed not to let it happen.
Abhimanyu Kohar, senior leader of SKM non-political, said, “We had requested the team on Saturday itself to prepone the meeting but due to various engagements of officers, February 14 was finalised. Till January 26, officials are busy with Republic Day celebration events. On Saturday evening, all leaders of KMM and SKM non-political were in the meeting to discuss these issues.”
Sources revealed that union leaders had differences of opinion after Dallewal, on Saturday, accepted the Centre’s proposal for a meeting on February 14. Reportedly, many KMM union leaders at Shambhu border were unaware of this development and were not taken into confidence before accepting the letter for the meeting at Khanauri border.
General secretary of BKU (Sidhupur) Kaka Singh Kotra was also of the opinion that the meeting should take place in Delhi. Both Pandher and Kotra believe that the protest involves the country’s struggle so the meeting should happen in the national capital.
The KMM and SKM (non-political) have been protesting at Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13, 2024 over 12 demands including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for all crops.
Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, too, favoured advancing the meeting. Speaking to The Indian Express on Sunday, he said, “February 14 is too far… Talks can resume within this week… They can delay the announcements and I don’t think that one round of talks can bring out the desired results. I appeal to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to advance the meeting and accept all the demands of farmers.”
Sarwan Singh Pandher appealed to SKM (non-political) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) leaders to urge Jagjit Singh Dallewal to break his fast so he can be in good health for the meeting. (Express photo by Harmeet Sodhi) 
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