Strengthen employment-generating agriculture sector: Farmer leader Dallewal to Centre

Chandigarh: Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal urged the Centre on Wednesday to strengthen the agriculture sector, as he also reiterated the demand for a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops.

Dallewal said this while addressing a "Mahapanchayat" at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana, where farmers have been staging a protest since February 13 last year over their various demands.

Dallewal, who is on an indefinite hunger strike, addressed the gathering of farmers while lying on a bed. A big screen was installed at Khanauri, enabling the protesters to listen to the veteran farmer leader's speech.

The "Kisan Mahapanchayat" was organised at Khanauri to mark the completion of a year of the ongoing protest.

Dallewal, the convenor of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), has been fasting since November 26 last year to press the BJP-led Centre to accept the farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops.

Addressing the gathering, Dallewal brought up the issue of the recent deportation of 104 illegal Indian immigrants, including 30 belonging to Punjab and 33 to Haryana, from the United States and asserted that if India's farming sector is strengthened, it can generate a lot of jobs and employ those who take the risk of going abroad illegally in search of employment.

"A few days ago, the US deported 104 Indians, of whom 30 were from Punjab and 33 from Haryana. The question arises that why did they have to go in that (illegal) manner. The main reason is that there is a lack of employment opportunities in our country.

"The sector that can provide maximum employment is agriculture. If the country's agriculture sector is strong, everyone will get employment. And if agriculture is profitable, why would our youngsters be forced to go abroad?" he asked the gathering.

Dallewal demanded a law that will guarantee the procurement of crops at the MSP, in accordance with the "C2 plus 50 per cent" formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

"We are fighting for a legal guarantee to the MSP and if farmers get the price for their produce in accordance with the Swaminathan Commission's formula of C2 plus 50 per cent, then I think there cannot be a bigger source of employment in the country.

"My request to the government is that it should strengthen the farm sector, enact a law that gives a legal guarantee to the MSP and implement the Swaminathan Commission's formula so that our youngsters do not have to go abroad," he said.

Dallewal said their battle is to ensure that youngsters get employment. "I appeal to farmers, labourers and others that we should fight this battle together. I also appeal to farmers to strengthen this agitation," he said.

Dallewal started getting medical aid after a high-level delegation of the Centre, led by Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Priya Ranjan, on January 18 invited the SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) for talks to discuss their demands at a meeting to be held in Chandigarh on February 14.

However, he did not call off his indefinite fast. He is being given intravenous fluids.

Dallewal had earlier said he would not call off his fast-unto-death till the Centre accepts the farmers' demands.

Farmers, under the banner of the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year, after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi to press for their demands.