Who Is Farmer Leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal ? (image:x.com/JagjitDallewal)
Punjab: Patiala Police on Tuesday took Jagjit Singh Dallewal, coordinator of farmer forum Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non Political) to a hospital in Ludhiana hours before he was all set to launch his sixth fast-unto-death protest. He was planning to start his protest from November 26, the fourth anniversary of the Delhi Chalo, a farmers protest held in 2020 demanding legal right of minimum support price (MSP) on all crops at per C2+50% profit. It began as protesting farmers started marching towards Delhi on November 26 to fight against the now-repealed farm laws.
Dallewal heads farmer organisation BKU Ekta Sidhupur, one of the 32 farmer bodies from Punjab that formed Samyukta Kisan Morcha. He was quite active in the Malwa belt of Punjab especially in leading the protest against land acquisition and demanding compensation for farmers who died by suicide. But, he was against SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal’s foray into electoral front and decision to contest 2022 Assembly elections in Punjab. He then quit from the group and along with other like-minded farm leaders created SKM, a non-political front.
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A follower of social activist Anna Hazare, Dallewal in the past five years had conducted five hunger strikes. His first protest was in February 23, 2018 when a he along with a convoy of tractors started marching towards Delhi to demand the implementation of Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation and farm debt waiver. They were halted at Cheema Mandi in Sangrur by the then Congress government in Punjab. The convoy were stopped at Cheema Mandi for 28 days, and after that, with government permission Dallewal and his team restarted the march, and then joined Hazare’s hunger strike in Delhi on March 23, 2018.
On January 1, 2019, Dallewal went on a huger strike for five days in Chandigarh over various issues related to the farm crisis. In January 2021, farmer leader participated on a chain hunger strike at Delhi borders as part of the protest to get the scrapping of farming laws. In November 2022, he started a hunger strike following Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s attack at the farmer unions for constantly holding protests by blocking roads to get their demands accepted. On June 8, 2023, he organised fifth protest where he sat outside the head office of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) office, Patiala to get his list of 21 demands to be accepted. The protest continued till June 14 when a Punjab Police team forcibly taken Dallewal to a hospital for treatment.
However, he is not without controversies. A video footage had surfaced in February, apparently showing him talking to farmers and stating that he now has the opportunity to bring down the rising popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian Express reports.
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Ahead of his current protest, Dallewal, the 70-year-old farmer leader reached his native village Faridkot and transferred his property to his son Gurpinderpal Dallewal daughter-in-law Harpreet Kaur and grandson Jigarjot Singh. He possess 17 acres of agricultural land and transferred 4.5 acres to son, two acres to daughter-in law and the remaining 10.5 acres to his grandson. “He told us that his fast unto death was going to be an aar-paar ki ladai (decisive battle) for the farmers”, his son told Indian Express.
Regarding transferring property to his daughter-in-law, Dallewal said that he wanted her to remain financially secure. “I believe, a woman who comes to your house, takes care of the family, fulfils all responsibilities, deserves to be owned by the family as their own,” he said. The social media now hails him as “feminist icon” and lauded him for his progressive thoughts.
Very impressed with Farm Leader Dallewal. In his will he gave land to his daughter in law as well. New face of a feminist farm leader. Educated farmers are more modern and forward thinking than urban elite class. @JagjitDallewal @FarmStudioz @Sandhu_Kdeep1 @thekaurfactor https://t.co/BQa9t6j58A pic.twitter.com/p5tCwUhfXN
— Samita Kaur (@samitakaur74) November 26, 2024
