Farmers up security after latest apex court directions

Fasting farm leader said the apex court 'should issue directions to the Union govt and not to the Punjab govt'

- HT Correspondent

KHANAURI: Farmers on Saturday called for a 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' at the Khanauri protest site on January 4 where farmers from all over the country will participate.

While addressing a press conference, farm leader Abhimanyu Kohar said it is farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who wanted to meet farmers from across the country for whom he had been fighting for nearly four decades may also speak at the mahapanchayat.

"Both the forums, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM, non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), respecting the desire of Dallewal have announced this mahapanchayat. Farmers from across the country will participate in the mahapanchayat on January 4 and Dallewal will address them," said Kohar.

The 67-year-old has been on hunger strike since November 26 to press the Centre to accept farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee for a minimum support price (MSP).

In the backdrop of the Supreme Court coming down heavily on the Punjab government for not shifting farmer leader, who has been fasting for over a month, to a hospital, Dallewal said that the apex court "should issue the directions to the Union government and not to the state government". After today's hearing in the apex court about the contempt case against the Punjab government, Dallewal said, "I was shocked when the Supreme Court, while making observation against Punjab government's plea of issuing directions to the Union government, said that they won't talk (go ahead) with any such precondition. For once, I thought these words were coming from the Union government, but I was surprised that it was the apex court that made this statement."