Chandigarh: Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, 70, remains steadfast in his hunger strike, now on its 21st day, at the Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana. Doctors have raised alarms over his worsening health, recommending immediate hospitalisation, but Dallewal has refused treatment.

Dr. Avtar Singh, part of a medical team monitoring Dallewal, revealed that his creatinine levels are rising, GFR is dropping, and ketones are elevated, indicating severe kidney strain. "His condition is critical. There is a risk of cardiac arrest," he said, adding that Dallewal can no longer stand without support.

Dallewal, a cancer patient, has survived on water alone since beginning his indefinite fast, demanding the Centre provide a legal guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops and fulfill 13 other farmer-related demands, including debt waivers, pensions, and justice for Lakhimpur Kheri victims.

Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar compared Dallewal's protest to Anna Hazare's 2011 hunger strike, noting its extended duration. Dallewal has undertaken similar fasts in 2018, 2019, and 2021, but this one has stretched beyond any prior attempts.

Punjab Police Chief Gaurav Yadav and a Ministry of Home Affairs official met Dallewal, but he reiterated that farmers' lives are more significant than his own. He wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging action on MSP as a "fundamental right to live" and expressed readiness to sacrifice his life to stop farmer suicides.

Farmers under Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) have camped at the Khanauri border since February 13 after being blocked from marching to Delhi. Key demands include reinstating the Land Acquisition Act, compensation for families of farmers who died during earlier agitations, and a withdrawal of police cases.

Dallewal's resolve reflects the farmers' determination to secure their rights. The protest continues to garner attention as his health remains critical.

(With PTI inputs)