Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, on an indefinite fast for 54 days, on Saturday agreed to take medical aid after the Centre proposed a meeting with the protesting farmers on February 14 to discuss their demands, including a legal guarantee on MSP for crops.
However, Dallewal will not end his indefinite fast till the Centre agreed to give a legal guarantee on MSP for crops during next month's meeting in Chandigarh, farmer leader Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande said.
Later, pictures showing Dallewal taking medical aid with an intravenous drip were released by the farmers.
The breakthrough came after a delegation of Union Agricultural Ministry officials, led by Joint Secretary Priya Ranjan, met Dallewal and held a meeting with the representatives of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which have been spearheading the agitation for the last 11 months.
Following the February 14 meeting announcement, farmer leaders appealed to Dallewal to take medical aid so that he could recover and participate in the talks.
Earlier, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said Dallewal was unable to take water and had been vomiting. He said that doctors had warned that anything could have happened to Dallewal.
Before agreeing to take medical aid, Dallewal had asked the farmer leaders to take consent from the 121 farmers who were also on an indefinite fast. A few days ago, a group of 111 farmers and later, 10 more farmers sat on a fast-unto-death in solidarity with Dallewal.
The Centre's delegation also appealed to Dallewal to take medical aid so that he can participate in the proposed meeting, which will take place at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration at Chandigarh at 5 pm on February 14.
Talking to reporters at the Khanauri protest site, Ranjan said a high-level delegation was sent by the Centre, keeping in mind the deteriorating health of Dallewal.
"We enquired about his health and held a meeting with the representatives (of the protesting farmers' bodies). We urged him (Dallewal) to break his fast and take medical aid, so that he can participate in the meeting," he said.
So far, four rounds of meetings had taken place between the Centre and the protesting farmers on February 8, 12, 15 and 18 last year, but the talks remained inconclusive.
Farmers protesting at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points between Punjab and Haryana said they received a proposal from the Centre to hold talks over their demands.
Farmer leader Kohar said officials fixed February 14 for the meeting as Assembly polls were due in Delhi on February 5 and the Model Code of Conduct will be in force in the national capital till February 9.
Dallewal, who is the convenor of the SKM (Non-Political), has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border point since November 26 last year in support of various demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops.
On Thursday, farmer leaders said Dallewal had lost about 20 kg of weight during his fast-unto-death. The weight of Dallewal had reduced to 66.4 kg from 86.9 kg, when he began the indefinite fast.
Farmers, under the banner of the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13 last year, after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi to press for their various demands.
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