Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike since November 26, met with a high-powered committee formed by the Supreme Court on Monday but refused medical aid, reported The Indian Express.

Headed by retired High Court judge Nawab Singh, the committee was set up in September to resolve the grievances of the protesting farmers. Dallewal, chief of the farm group Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), has been on an indefinite fast at Khanauri, located on the Punjab-Haryana border.

The hunger strike is part of a wider campaign by Punjab’s farm groups to press the Centre to accept their demand for legally guaranteed minimum support prices. The minimum support price is the cost at which the government procures crops from farmers.

On Monday, Singh told the farm leader that the Supreme Court was worried about his health. “On every date of hearing, he [Justice Surya Kant] keeps issuing directions to ensure your good health,” Singh said.

However, Dallewal said the committee should press the Supreme Court to issue a direction to the Union government, The Indian Express reported.

“I respect Justice Surya Kant but how do I ask him why he does not give any direction to the Centre, when our issue is to be sorted by Centre?” he asked. “When the Punjab advocate general asks him to direct the Centre, then Surya Kant ji does not listen.”

The 70-year-old noted that Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had earlier said the Centre would comply with the orders issued by the Supreme Court on the matter. “If the Supreme Court is not ready to give this direction to the Centre, then we do not have hope from anywhere,” Dallewal added.

He said that he would break his fast if the Union government accepted the demands of the protesting farmers.

Besides a legal guarantee for minimum support prices, the farmers have also been demanding the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission’s wider recommendations for farming in India, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, a farm debt waiver, the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

The farmers have alleged that the Centre has not taken steps to address their demands, claiming that no talks were held since February. Since then, they have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border, under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

The discussion with Dallewal on Monday came hours after the Punjab government told the Supreme Court that the protestors had agreed to meet with it, The Indian Express reported.

“Somehow, we have been able to persuade the protesting people to meet Justice (Retd) Nawab Singh at 3 pm today,” Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Punjab government, told a bench of Justices Surya Kant and NK Singh. “We are hopeful that there would be a breakthrough.”

Subsequently, the bench adjourned the hearing on a petition regarding compliance with its directions to the state government to shift Dallewal to a hospital and fixed the next date of hearing on January 10.

On December 28, the Supreme Court had given the Punjab government till December 31 to convince Dallewal to move to a hospital. The bench also rebuked the state for not adhering to its earlier directives mandating medical care for the farmer leader.

On December 31, the court deferred the hearing after Punjab sought three additional days to comply with the court directive.

On January 2, it remarked that the Punjab government appeared to be opposed to any reconciliation with Dallewal.

The bench also clarified that it had not issued any directions for Dallewal to end his fast. The state government should impress upon him that he could continue his hunger strike even after being shifted to a hospital, the court added.

Dallewal’s health worsens

Hours after Dallewal met with the committee, the 70-year-old’s health condition worsened with a drop in his blood pressure and pulse rate, The Indian Express reported on Monday. A team of doctors were closely monitoring his health.

“He has denied medical treatment so we cannot forcefully administer treatment,” the newspaper quoted Dr Avtar Singh as saying. “We are rubbing his hands and feet and have elevated his legs by placing pillows. His condition is critical…as we cannot provide treatment, we are managing in whatever way we can.”

Tuesday is the 43rd day of Dallewal’s fast.

The authorities have deployed emergency teams. “As of now, things are under control,” The Indian Express quoted an unidentified senior medical officer of the Punjab Health Department as saying.

SKM urges President Murmu to meet farmers

On Monday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha urged President Droupadi Murmu to reconsider her decision not to meet a farmers’ delegation on the issue of Dallewal’s hunger strike, The Hindu reported.

The farm group had earlier sought an appointment with Murmu to discuss the matter. However, her office told them that their request had been considered but “could not be acceded to due to paucity of time”.

In response, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha stated that it expected a “review on this crucial request for her intervention since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Supreme Court are so far unable to resolve the impasse and to take constructive steps to save the life of the farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal fasting for the last 41 days”.

It added that Murmu had the responsibility as the head of India to help the executive and the judiciary to adhere to democratic principles and hold discussions with the farmers, The Hindu added.