FATEHGARH SAHIB, India, April 6 – Prominent Indian farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal ended his indefinite hunger strike on Sunday after more than four months, following appeals from senior government ministers and growing calls from within the farmers’ movement.
Dallewal, a senior figure in the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), had launched the hunger strike on November 26, 2024, to demand a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) and other key issues raised by protesting farmers.
The announcement was made at a large farmers’ gathering – or Kisan Mahapanchayat – held in Sirhind in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib district. “You all have asked me to end the fast unto death. I am indebted to you for taking care of the agitation. I respect your sentiments. I accept your order,” Dallewal said, addressing the assembled farmers.
His decision came a day after Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu publicly urged him to end the fast, citing concerns about his health.
“The ongoing dialogue between the representatives of the Government of India and the representatives of farmers’ organisations regarding their demands is continuing,” Chouhan said in a post on social media platform X on Saturday. He added that talks were scheduled for May 4.
Bittu also appealed to Dallewal, emphasizing the importance of his health and leadership. “Your life is precious for the people of Punjab, as your leadership will always be needed for the struggle of farmers and farm labourers,” he said. Dallewal, who had been receiving medical aid since January at the Khanauri protest site, had refused to end his fast until now, despite earlier rounds of dialogue with the central government.
Farmers’ groups across northern India have been staging protests for several months, pressing the government to meet a list of demands, including guaranteed prices for crops and implementation of promises made following the 2020–21 farm law agitation.
