MODI MUST ADDRESS ISSUES OF FARMERS, SAYS VINESH

Veteran farm leader, who has been on hunger strike since Nov 26, refused to take any medical help

- HT Correspondents

PATIALA: Two days after the Supreme Court directed the Centre and Punjab government representatives to immediately meet farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal who has been staging an indefinite hunger strike since last month, a senior ministry of home affairs (MHA) official and the state top on Sunday called on him at the Khanauri border in Sangrur and heard his demands.

This is the first time that any representative from the Centre has met the protesting farmers after talks with Union ministers had failed, in February, this year. The 67-year-old Dallewal, a cancer patient, has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP on crops.

"We came here to enquire about his health. I have with me the Government of India's representative Mayank Mishra who was specially sent here," said director general of police Gaurav Yadav after meeting Dallewal. Yadav said they tried to persuade Dallewal to seek immediate medical help. The farmer leader, however, turned down the request.

Senior farmer leader Sukhjeet Singh said the farmer leader has refused to take medical help. "Dallewal firmly refused Punjab DGP's proposal to take medical help," Sukhjeet said.

Mishra said, "We have heard whatever his (Dallewal) demands are."

To a question, he said, "There was no proposal of any kind. I came here to hear him and also for implementation of the SC order."

"We have told Dallewal that his way of leading a peaceful agitation has been appreciated everywhere and the government has also taken cognisance of it," said the DGP.