Referring to farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s fast unto death which entered 14th day on Monday, Pandher said he has lost 11 kg weight but the government is not waking up from its slumber.”The government is trying to divert the real issue and trying to focus the debate on which vehicles farmers use to come to Delhi and what method they should adopt to go there,” he said.”I have met Dallewal ji today…he will continue his fast till farmers’ demands are met,” said Pandher.Pandher cautioned the Punjab Police not try to repeat the November 26 incident when they forcibly removed Dallewal from the Khanauri border point just hours before he was going to start his fast unto death. He said Punjab Police officials met Dallewal at the Khanauri border point and that they said they were worried about his health.”The Punjab government should rather press the Centre if they are really worried about farmers,” said Pandher.Another farmer leader Sukhjit Singh said no meal will be cooked on Tuesday by farmers at Khanauri in solidarity with Dallewal.A jatha of 101 farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had made two attempts to go to Delhi on foot on December 6 and 8 but they were not allowed to move ahead by the Haryana security personnel.Farmers have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.The farmers had earlier attempted to march towards Delhi on February 13 and February 21 but were stopped by security forces deployed at the border points.Besides a legal guarantee to MSP for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases, and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.
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