5 min readLudhianaNov 24, 2022 07:51 AM IST
First published on: Nov 24, 2022 at 07:51 AM IST
The fast-unto-death of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) president Jagjit Singh Dallewal to press for various demands of farmers entered its sixth day on Wednesday, while the dharna at six highways of Punjab entered its eighth day.
The demands of farmers include enhanced compensation for land acquired for national highway projects, compensation for crop damage due to inclement weather and pest attack, and rolling back of heavy fines imposed for stubble burning. The dharnas are being organised under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Apolitical). On Wednesday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, including Parambans Bunty Romana and Prem Singh Chandumajra, called on Dallewal and enquired about his health. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also called up Dallewal to enquire about his health.
Romana said, “I had gone to meet Dallewal ji on behalf of the party president. The SAD chief had also called him up.
We assured him (Dallewal) that the party is with the farmers and we extend all our support to them.”
Effigies of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were also burned at all the six highways in Mansa, Patiala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar. Dallewal is sitting on hunger strike at Tehna T-point in Faridkot.
BKU Sidhupur members widely circulated pictures of various AAP leaders sitting on roads when they were in the Opposition. The pictures included that of Bhagwant Mann sitting on a dharna at Sangrur in 2018 when he was the Sangrur MP; of the then AAP MLAs Aman Arora, Peermal Khalsa, Nazar Singh Manshahia, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, and Gurdit Singh Sekhon, among others, sitting on roads at various sit-ins during the previous Congress government when AAP was in the Opposition.
“Farmers are very much irked by the statement of the Punjab CM. They want the CM to apologise for it. It was also conveyed to Vidhan Sabha Speaker and Kotkapura MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan when he came to meet Dallewal on Monday,” said Sukhmander Singh Dhilwan, a BKU Sidhupur farmer leader.
CM Mann had slammed the farmers’ unions on Friday last for frequently blocking roads in Punjab as part of their protests.
Kaka Singh Kotra, another state leader of BKU Sidhpur, said, “Several sarpanches made arrangements to provide us dry ration at all the protest points. People are now understanding that we are sitting on a dharna for a public cause.”
Sukhmander added, “We are giving way to traffic from one side of the road and so we are not putting the commuters to inconvenience.”
Late in the evening SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal tweeted: “Spoke to BKU (Ekta-Sidhupur) president S Jagjit Singh Ji Dallewal who is on fast unto death for past 5 days. Inquired about his well being & assured complete support to him. @Akali_Dal_ is a party of farmers & is committed to safeguard the rights of farming community at all costs.”
Speaking to reporters at the protest site in Faridkot on Wednesday, Dallewal said, “Even if I die, I appeal to farmer colleagues to carry out their protests in a peaceful manner.”
He said his weight loss, fluctuation in blood pressure and low blood sugar level were not weighing on his mind at the moment. “I am not thinking about these things. We are here so that the government should issue a notification for the demands they had already been accepted,” he said.
A medical team has been stationed at the protest site in Faridkot to monitor Dallewal’s health.
Jai Inder Kaur backs Dallewal
Daughter of former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh and BJP leader Jai Inder Kaur Wednesday came out in the support of farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and other farmers who are sitting on protest.
Kaur said, “Our farmers led by BKU leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal have been sitting on a protest for the last 8-9 days in various places in Punjab. They are keeping forward their genuine demands that were earlier promised to them by the state government which now has backtracked on all its promises. I stand fully in support of these protesting farmers and urge CM Bhagwant Mann to come down from his high horse and fulfill his promises to our farmers.”
Condemning Mann for what she termed as a ‘betrayal’, Kaur said, “Bhagwant Mann led government has repeatedly backstabbed Punjab’s farmers. First they promised to provide Rs 2500 per acre compensation to farmers for stubble management but later they completely refused and even worse, they started filling cases and marking red entries against the farmers who had to burn stubble due to the incompetence of the state government. Mann’s government completely failed to provide any alternative to stubble burning and is now instead of taking responsibility is blaming farmers for it’s misdeeds.”
“The present government is totally failing our farmers on all front and is clearly more focused on the Gujarat elections, instead of taking care of business in Punjab,” she said.
SAD leader Parambans Bunty Romana with Jagjit Dallewal in Faridkot on wednesday. (Express Photo) 
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