BATHINDA: Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal broke his fast after 131 days during a Kisan mahapanchayat at Fatehgarh Sahib on Sunday.
The indications of breaking the over four months long fast had emerged on Saturday when farmer leaders close to Dallewal had welcomed the appeal made by union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urging Dallewal to end his fast and led farmers in next round of meeting on May 4.
After Chouhan, union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu too had made appeals for Dallewal to end fast.Dallewal while breaking the fast, which he had started on November 26, 2024, said “even as I wanted to continue with the fast till all the 12 demands are met but as more and more demands were pouring in asking me to visit various states to mobilise farmers for national level struggle for bigger issues concerning farming, going by those appeals and aiming to reach out farmers from across the country I decided to accept those appeals”.
Dallewal also stated that struggle to realise the legal right of minimum support price on crops as per C2+50% will continue and for that all need to come prepared and for it if need be they will again start the morcha at appropriate time.
Even as Dallewal announced to participate in proposed meeting with central
Ministers on May 4 but also stated that how they can trust the governments which stabbed in the back by arresting farm leaders by inviting them for talks but despite all this they will attend the next round of meetings even if they are arrested again.
Into over nine months into protests without any Redon SR from the central government, Dallewal announced to start fast unto death from November 26, 2024, at Khanauri morcha. Only hours before he was to start the fast, police picked him from his chamber and admitted in a hospital at Ludhiana. Dallewal started fast in the hospital while farm leader Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande started fast at Khanauri in the absence of Dallewal.
When Dallewal was relieved on November 29, he returned to Khanauri and resumed fast.
On January 18, 2025, union agriculture ministry joint secretary visited Dallewal at Khanauri and handed over invite for talks for February 14 and going by it Dallewal started taking medical assistance, which earlier he had refused even upon appeal by Supreme Court.
When on March 19 he along with other leaders were returning from meeting with Central and Punjab ministers, he was detained and taken to Jalandhar and then to a hospital at Patiala, he had stoped taking water intake and took water only after all the arrested leaders were released from various jails.
While breaking the fast he made the large number of farmers present in Kisan mahapanchayat to raise hands in affirmative for next round of morcha to be started at appropriate time.
Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohad said that there was immense pressure from farmers in various states who wanted Dallewal to visit them. Going by it he decided to end the fast and led farmers in their fight.
Farmer forums Sanyukt Kisan Mircha Non Polutical and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had given calls for Delhi Chalo-2 on February 13, 2024 but they were stopped by Haryana police by resorting to tear gas shells. Farmers had started morchas as Shambhu and Khanauri which were forcibly lifted by police on March 19, 2025.