The Punjab government on Wednesday continued with its efforts to persuade farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to take medical aid, with former additional DGP Jaskaran Singh saying discussions in this regard were also held with farmer leaders.
Over the past few days, a state government team led by Jaskaran Singh has made several attempts to convince Dallewal, whose indefinite hunger strike completed 37 days on Wednesday, to take medical help, but so far he has refused.
The former police officer held two meetings with the other farm leaders.
Earlier, the apex court gave the Punjab government time until December 31 to persuade Dallewal to shift to a hospital, granting the state the liberty to seek logistical support from the Centre, if necessary.
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On Tuesday, a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and Sudhanshu Dhulia took note of a plea moved by the Punjab government seeking an additional three days to comply with SC’s December 20 order.
The top court had posted the matter on January 2 for the compliance of its order on shifting Dallewal to a hospital.
The Punjab government had informed the vacation bench that Dallewal agreed to medical aid given the Centre accepted his proposal to hold talks.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening after meeting Dallewal at the Khanauri border during the day, the retired Punjab police officer Jaskaran Singh said, “We talked to him (Dallewal) regarding his health. We had conducted his blood tests a few days back. We again appealed to him if he does not want to break his fast, at least he should take medical aid”.
The proposal of a meeting between farmer unions and the Union government has not been materialised so far, the former cop added.
Also Read | Farmers intensify protests as SC deadline for Dallewal ends
Jaskaran Singh also held two rounds of meetings with other farmer leaders, including Kaka Singh Kotra, Surjit Singh Phul, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilbagh Singh Harigarh and Abhimanyu Kohar.
When asked if there could be a meeting between the government and the protesting farmers, Jaskaran Singh, who was accompanied by deputy inspector general of police Mandeep Singh Sidhu, said, “When anything is finalised, we will tell”. He, however, said discussions with farmer leaders on Wednesday “were held in a positive atmosphere”.
“We have held a few meetings earlier. Today, we held two meetings,” he said.
Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said the discussion was in the perspective of overall agitation.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) leader Kaka Singh Kotra told reporters at Khanauri that “When the parliamentary committee has called for a legal guarantee to MSP, the Centre should accept that”.
Senior farmer leader Sukhjeet Singh said that Dallewal might think of taking medical aid only if Union government starts a dialogue.
The farmers have been protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border to press the Centre for several demands, including a legal guarantee to a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
On December 28, the top court came down heavily on the Punjab government for not moving Dallewal to a hospital even as it doubted the intention of the agitating farmers for resisting the availability of medical aid to their septuagenarian leader. On December 20, the apex court put the onus on Punjab government officials and doctors to decide on Dallewal’s hospitalisation.
A “jatha” (group) of 101 farmers attempted to march to Delhi on foot three times between December 6 and 14 but were stopped by security personnel from Haryana.