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Punjab farmers dig in heels, Dallewal to continue fast till demands met
Spearheaded by Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), protests in Amritsar, Mansa, Patiala, Faridkot and Bathinda enter sixth day; farmers want more compensation for land acquired for highway projects besides crop damage relief and cancellation of cases against some of them
Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) president Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Monday said he would continue his fast unto death till the Punjab government comes up with a resolution to the demands of farmers.
Doctors attending on the farmer leader told reporters that the sugar level of Dallewal, who is on fast since Saturday, is low and a medical team has been stationed at the protest site in Faridkot to monitor his health.
Also read: Punjab seeks shorter-duration paddy to reduce stubble burning
The ongoing protests by farmers entered the sixth day on Monday. BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) is spearheading the protests in Amritsar, Mansa, Patiala, Faridkot and Bathinda in support of its demands.
The demands include more compensation for land acquired for national highway projects and crop damage due to inclement weather and pest attack, cancellation of cases against some farmers and bonus for wheat yield loss.
Dallewal has accused the Aam Aadmi Party of acting the same way as the BJP did during the farmers’ stir against the now repealed farm laws.
“We are sitting here for resolution of our demands. If the government does not accept then this fast unto death and our protests will continue like this,” Dallewal told reporters in Faridkot.
‘Took to streets after protests at DC office drew blank’
He said farmers were compelled to stage sit-ins on roads after their protests outside the offices of deputy commissioners failed to yield any positive action from the state government.
Dallewal said he is not going to avail medical aid and his fast in support of demands will continue.
“We are ready to give treatment, but he is refusing,” said a doctor who examined him.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann had slammed the farmers’ unions on Friday for frequently staging protests by blocking roads in Punjab to get their demands fulfilled, which evoked a strong reaction from farmer bodies, with the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) hitting out at the CM, accusing him of not fulfilling promises.
CM Bhagwant Mann deceiving farmers: Dallewal
Dallewal had earlier accused CM Mann of deceiving farmers by not fulfilling demands earlier accepted by him.
“We were promised that sugarcane mills would start crushing from November 5 but they failed to do so. We were promised that ₹2,500 per acre will be given for not burning stubble. We were again promised no action will be taken against farmers who burn stubble, but the government failed on this front also,” Dallewal said last week.
Dallewal said farmers held protests for eight months outside the offices of the deputy commissioners. “When nobody listened to us, we were compelled to come on the roads,” he stated.
He said if their sit-ins on roads are wrong then why did AAP leaders join the over one-year long protests at the Delhi borders.
