Leader of farmers: Dallewal's role in the struggle for agricultural reform

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a prominent farmer leader and the president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), ended his indefinite hunger strike on Sunday after 131 days. He began hunger strike on November 26, 2024. The aim was to push for a legal guarantee on minimum support prices (MSP) for crops and raise awareness about various issues pertaining to farmers. While Dallewal has now called off his fast, he said that the farmers' protest will continue. 

Dallewal, who hails from a farming family in Dallewala village, Faridkot, had initiated his fast as part of the broader farmer movement that gained national attention in 2020. He completed his post-graduation at Punjabi University before dedicating his life to agricultural and farmer issues.

His hunger strike was marked by appeals from several political figures, including Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu.

On Saturday, the Union Minister posted on X a message urging Dallewal to end his fast, as talks between the Central government and farmers’ organisations were ongoing.

The post read: “The ongoing dialogue between the representatives of the Government of India and the representatives of farmers’ organisations regarding their demands is continuing. Farmer leader Shri Jagjit Singh Dallewal has now returned from hospital and we wish him a speedy recovery. We also request him to end his hunger strike and we will meet with the representatives of the farmers’ organisations for talks at 11 a.m. on May 4 as per the already decided date.”

Despite the end of his fast, Dallewal remained firm in his stance that the movement will persist. In a statement, he clarified that his fast may have ended, but the fight for farmer rights, including the MSP guarantee, would not cease until demands were met.

Dallewal's journey has been marked by significant shifts within the farmer movement. His faction of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) broke away from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) after Balbir Singh Rajewal formed the Samyukta Samaj Morcha to contest the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.

Dallewal's leadership was key in forming a new non-political version of the SKM in July 2022, uniting over 150 farmer unions under this banner.

Since February 13, 2025, farmer leaders associated with Dallewal's faction, along with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have continued to agitate at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana.

These protests emerged after the Delhi Chalo march was halted by security forces, underscoring the ongoing unrest among farmers in the region.

Dallewal's activism traces back to his support for Anna Hazare, the veteran social activist. In 2018, Dallewal joined Hazare’s hunger strike in Delhi, which focused on issues such as the immediate implementation of the Lokpal Act, solutions to agrarian distress, and electoral reforms.

As Dallewal takes a step back from his hunger strike, his call for a legal guarantee on MSP and greater support for farmers remains at the forefront of his struggle.