The Supreme Court rapped the Punjab government on Thursday and said the state doesn’t wish to solve the impasse. Noting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s life is precious, the apex court said it never intended to break his indefinite hunger strike, but only wanted to ensure medical aid for the ageing farmer considering his health condition.
Hearing a contempt plea against the Punjab government over not ensuring medical assistance for Dallewal, the bench noted that Punjab government officials are deliberately attempting to misrepresent in the media that the Supreme Court is pressuring Dallewal to give up his fast. "There is a deliberate attempt in the media by your state government officers to give an impression that the Court is pressuring Dallewal to break the fast. Our directions were not to break his fast. We just said let his health be taken care of and then his fast can go on,” Bar and Bench reported quoting the bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan.
The bench noted that their concern is about the health of the ailing farmer and that Dallewal’s life is “precious as a farm leader”. “He is not aligned to any political ideologies, he is only taking the farmers' cause,” the bench said.
The bench observed few farmer leaders are making irresponsible statements and their bonafides for Dallewal should be looked into. Coming down heavily on the state government, the bench said, “Your attitude is that there should be no conciliation, that is the problem. There are people making irresponsible statements and we know the intentions.”
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The Supreme Court will next hear the case on Monday and directed the Punjab chief secretary to file a compliance report in the case. Farmer leader Dallewal, a cancer patient, has been on hunger strike since November at the Khanouri border urging the Centre to fulfil farmers’ demands. Farmers have been protesting seeking legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price for crops and various other demands. During a previous hearing, the Punjab government informed the apex court that Dallewal was ready to accept treatment if the Centre invited farmer leaders for talks.
On Wednesday, a few officials from the Punjab government met Dallewal and persuaded him to take medical aid. The officials also held talks with the farmer leaders.
