Chandigarh, Dec 26 (PTI) Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Thursday said the call for a 'Punjab bandh' on December 30 is getting good support from various sections.

The decision to give a call for a 'Punjab bandh' was taken last week by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

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To ensure the success of the bandh, SKM (Non-political) and KMM convened a meeting of transporters, employees, traders and others at the Khanauri protest site on Thursday.

"Punjab Bandh" will be observed from 7 am to 4 pm on December 30, he told reporters at the Khanauri border site.

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There will be a complete bandh on December 30, Pandher said.

However, emergency services will remain operational.

Pander said traders, transporters, employees unions, toll plaza workers, labour, ex-servicemen, Sarpanches and teachers' unions, social and other bodies, and some other sections have lent their support to the bandh.

Besides, common people are also supporting it. This bandh will force the Centre to accept the demands of farmers, the farmer leader said as he slammed the union government for failing to accept the demands of farmers.

Farmers under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

A "jatha" (group) of 101 farmers made three attempts to enter Delhi on foot on December 6, December 8 and again on December 14. They were not allowed to proceed by security personnel in Haryana.

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal (70) has been sitting on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border since November 26 to put pressure on the Centre to accept the farmers' demands, including legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP).

Amid Dallewal's worsening health, on Wednesday, a delegation of Punjab's ruling AAP met the farmer leader at Khanauri protest site and urged him to take medical treatment saying that his health is "important".

A senior leader of SKM (Non-political) Kaka Singh Kotra, who addressed the media at Khanauri on Thursday with Pandher, reminded the AAP leaders that "they sat on mass hunger strike when their leader Arvind Kejriwal was arrested. Now, why can't they go and sit and protest outside the Prime Minister's residence".

Kotra felt that ruling AAP in Punjab was not exerting enough pressure on Centre to force them to accept protesting farmers demands.

The role which they (AAP) should have played they have not done so, he said.

"Will only Punjab farmers benefit if a legal guarantee to MSP is given," Kotra asked.

Meanwhile, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Thursday visited the Khanauri border and met Dallewal.

Sandhwan was accompanied by several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, including Narinder Kaur Bharaj and Kulwant Singh Pandori.

According to an official statement here, Sandhwan lauded Jagjit Singh Dallewal's commitment to humanity and the welfare of farmers.

"Dallewal Sahib is not just fighting for Punjab; he is leading the fight for farmers across the nation," he said.

Highlighting the farmers' contributions, Sandhwan urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to their demands.

"The farmers of this country, whose ancestors fought for India's independence and whose children (as soldiers) sacrifice their lives daily for the nation, deserve to be heard. Ignoring their plight is equivalent to ignoring the nation itself," he said.

Sandhwan expressed deep concern over Dallewal's deteriorating health and cautioned the central government against testing the patience of Punjabis.

"If the nation is to be saved, MSP must be guaranteed. The demands of farmers cannot be sidelined any longer," he said.

Drawing comparisons with other countries, Sandhwan said, "In the United States, only 1 per cent of the population are farmers, yet they receive substantial subsidies".

In India, where 80 per cent of people depend on farming, the government is trying to push them out of agriculture to benefit corporate giants, he claimed.

Sandhwan appealed to the media and the public to recognize that this is not just Dallewal's personal fight but a battle for Punjab and the entire nation.

The Speaker assured that AAP remains committed to supporting the farmers.

"Yesterday, a high-level delegation of our party met Jagjit Dallewal. Punjab AAP President Aman Arora has discussed this issue at both the party and government levels. As Speaker, I will do everything within my capacity in the Vidhan Sabha to address this issue," Sandhwan stated.

He also highlighted the Punjab government's continuous efforts to engage with the Centre on this matter.

"Our Finance Minister Harpal Cheema and Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar recently met central government officials to push for solutions. We are leaving no stone unturned in advocating for farmers' rights," he affirmed.

Besides a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)