New Delhi, 26 December 2024: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has formally requested a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to discuss ongoing farmer concerns amid escalating protests and an indefinite hunger strike by farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.
In a letter dated December 25, SKM emphasized the urgency of the situation, particularly the ongoing fast of Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike since November 26 at the Khanauri border. The group sought the President’s immediate intervention, citing growing unrest among farmers nationwide and a need for dialogue with the government on critical agricultural issues. “We request your urgent intervention to facilitate talks between the Union Government and farmer organizations to address longstanding concerns,” the letter stated.
The demands include a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops, debt waivers for farmers, pensions for farm workers, no increase in electricity tariffs, and withdrawal of police cases against protesting farmers.
Dallewal, 70, is in critical condition after months of fasting, with only water intake, according to attending doctors. His protest, calling for a legally binding MSP and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, is the focal point of the broader farmer protests.
Since February 13, farmers, united under SKM and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have staged protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana. A previous march to Delhi, organized by over 100 farmers, was thwarted by security forces between December 6 and 14.
SKM’s letter to the President also noted that over 500 districts across the country have submitted memoranda to her, urging her immediate involvement in addressing the farmers’ plight.
