Jagjit Singh Dallewal: The Farmer Leader Who Fasted 131 Days for MSP Guarantee

New Delhi– Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a prominent farmer leader and president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), called off his indefinite hunger strike on Sunday after 131 days of protest. He had begun his fast on November 26, 2024, demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops and drawing attention to various issues affecting farmers across the country. Despite ending his hunger strike, Dallewal made it clear that the farmers' agitation would continue until their demands were met.

Hailing from a farming family in Dallewala village, Faridkot, Dallewal completed his post-graduation at Punjabi University before dedicating his life to advocating for agricultural reforms and farmers' rights. His hunger strike was part of the larger farmers' movement that gained nationwide momentum in 2020. During his protest, several political leaders, including Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, urged him to end his fast, citing ongoing discussions between the government and farmer organizations.

On Saturday, the Union Minister posted on X, appealing to Dallewal to halt his protest as talks were scheduled for May 4. The message read: "The ongoing dialogue between the representatives of the Government of India and the representatives of farmers’ organisations regarding their demands is continuing. Farmer leader Shri Jagjit Singh Dallewal has now returned from hospital and we wish him a speedy recovery. We also request him to end his hunger strike and we will meet with the representatives of the farmers’ organisations for talks at 11 a.m. on May 4 as per the already decided date."

Dallewal’s activism has been marked by significant developments within the farmers' movement. His faction of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) broke away from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) after Balbir Singh Rajewal formed the Samyukta Samaj Morcha to contest the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. In July 2022, Dallewal played a key role in uniting over 150 farmer unions under a new non-political version of the SKM.

Since February 13, 2025, farmers associated with Dallewal’s faction, along with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana. These demonstrations followed the halt of the Delhi Chalo march by security forces, reflecting the persistent unrest among farmers in the region.

Dallewal’s commitment to social and agrarian causes dates back to his support for veteran activist Anna Hazare’s 2018 hunger strike in Delhi, which demanded the implementation of the Lokpal Act, solutions for agrarian distress, and electoral reforms. Now, as he steps back from his prolonged fast, his focus remains firmly on securing a legal MSP guarantee and ensuring better support for farmers. The struggle, he asserts, is far from over.