India’s police are using tear gas and water cannons for a second day today to stop farmers marching on the capital in Delhi demanding minimum crop prices. The “Delhi Chalo” or “March to Delhi” march comes months before a national election.
According to BBC, the capitol is surrounded by cement blocks, fencing, and razor wire facing the farmers as authorities have banned large gatherings in Delhi and suspended internet services.
The tens of thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are marching to demand higher prices for their produce. Organizations from both states, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, are participating in the march, including over 200 farm unions.
Aljazeera reports that the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a coalition of over forty Indian farmers’ unions, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha representing over 150 unions, and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee spearhead the protests.
While Haryana Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur says that protestors threw stones to break down barricades, farmers say that they want to talk and resolve the issues.
“We do not want to break any barricades. We want a resolution of our issues through dialogue. But if they (the government) do nothing, then what will we do? It is our compulsion,” Sarwan Singh Pandher, a leader of one of the farmer groups, told Associated Press reporters on Tuesday.
In 2020, similar protests resulted in blockaded national highways along the capital as farmers forged a year-long protest where around 750 people died.
In November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked a series of agricultural laws that had sparked initial protests from farmers, who argued that the legislation would adversely affect their earnings.
But, farmer groups leading the protests say that the government hasn’t made any progress on other demands, including crop prices and doubling farmers’ incomes and loan waivers.