Indian farmers have threatened to march on the nation's capital, New Delhi, as they continued to demand better crop prices.
Following the threats of a march, Indian law enforcement personnel erected barricades on key highways on Monday. The farmers have called for a "Delhi Chalo," which translates to "March to Delhi," on Tuesday.
Indian Farmers' Protest
In a statement, the leader of a nationwide farmers' association, Swaran Singh Pandher said that farmers from across the nation are prepared to march on the capital starting on Tuesday. On top of placing cement blocks and metal spikes along major roads, officials have also ordered a ban on gatherings of more than five people in the capital.
Roughly two-thirds of India's 1.4 billion population draw their livelihood from agriculture, which forms an influential bloc in the country. However, thousands of Indian farmers die by suicide every year due to the stresses of poverty, debt, and crop failures caused by climate change, as per DW News.
The demands of the farmers echo massive protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agricultural reforms that were made in 2020. Those demonstrations lasted for a whole year and saw farmers breach barricades and march into New Delhi on Republic Day in 2021.
A key farmers' association, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM(, expressed its "strong discontent and anger" at police for erecting anti-protest barricades. However, it said that it was not taking part in the planned march to New Delhi on Tuesday. It instead called for strikes on Friday to press for their demands.
The Indian farmers began their march from northern Haryana and Punjab states as they demanded a guaranteed minimum support price for all farm produce. The local government protects agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices by announcing a minimum purchase price on certain essential crops at the beginning of the sowing season, taking into account the cost of production.
Protecting the Country's Farmers
Additionally, the farmers are pressing the government to meet its promise to double their income. The withdrawal of the agricultural laws in November 2021 was considered to be a major retreat by Modi's government, according to The Hill.
At the time, the government said that it would set up a panel of farmers and government officials to discuss ways to ensure support prices for all farm produce. However, multiple meetings since then have made no progress on the matter.
The latest march comes a few months before the country's national elections, in which the prime minister is widely expected to win a third term. Pandher said that they do not want to break any barricades but instead want a resolution for their issues through dialogue.
He also said that talks between farm leaders and government ministers on Monday failed to produce any consensus on their key demands. Pandher noted that the government had refused to make a decision regarding the issue.
Federal ministers held a six-hour-long meeting on Monday with farm union leaders and the two sides reportedly came to an agreement on some of the demands. These include the withdrawal of cases registered against protesters during the 2020 incident, said BBC.
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