Farmers End Hunger Strike After Glucose Support for Dallewal, Talks Scheduled for February 14

Khanauri (The Uttam Hindu): The central government will hold a meeting with the protesting farmers of Punjab in Chandigarh on February 14, in which their demands will be discussed. This information was given by a senior official of the central government. On Sunday, 111 farmers from Punjab ended their fast on the fifth day and 10 farmers from Haryana ended their fast on the third day.

Farmer leaders Kaka Singh Kotra, Sukhjeet Singh Hardojhande, Baldev Singh Sirsa ended the fast unto death of these farmers by giving them juice.

A meeting will be held between the farmers and the central government on February 14 at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Sector 26, Chandigarh. The agitating farmers are demanding a legal guarantee on MSP for crops. After the announcement of the proposed meeting, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has agreed to take medical help. However, he will not consume food until his demands are met. The fast unto death of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal entered the 54th day on Saturday.

Earlier, a delegation led by Union Agriculture Ministry Joint Secretary Priya Ranjan met Dallewal, who is on a hunger strike. The delegation held a meeting with representatives of the United Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, who have been leading the movement for the last 11 months. After the announcement of the meeting, farmer leaders requested Dallewal to take medical help so that he could participate in this proposed meeting. This is the first time that a representative of the Center has met the protesting farmers with any proposal after the talks with Union ministers failed in February last year. Four rounds of meetings were held between Union ministers and protesting farmers on February 8, 12, 15 and 18 last year, but the talks remained inconclusive.

Regarding the health of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the central government is hopeful that he will end his fast unto death and attend the meeting. Farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border since February 13 last year after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi with various demands including legal MSP guarantee for their crops.