NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (INDIA) – There were pan-India protests by farmers on Tuesday against the new laws liberalising agricultural markets. Farm organisations had called a nationwide strike after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government failed to yield results.
States in the east and west of the nation witnessed farmers blocking highways and roads and squatting on railway tracks, delaying thousands of commuters and motorists as well as preventing perishable items from reaching markets.
The agitations began last month and they are led by farmers from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana as well as nearby New Delhi. They have erected protest camps across the national capital.
“We will not allow the government to change the rules because they want to hurt farmers’ income by filling the pockets of big companies,” said Gurwinder Singh, a 66-year-old farmer from Punjab.
The new laws enacted in September loosens regulations regarding the sale, pricing and storage of produce. In fact they have always safeguarded farmers from unhindered free market for years at a stretch.
As they are promised a floor price, most farmers sell a good chunk of their produce at wholesale markets controlled by the government, which are also known as mandis.
Meanwhile, the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power, said the reforms would not affect the income of farmers. There are more talks between farmers and the government on Wednesday.
Sympathy for the cause of the agitating farmers among the Indian diaspora has been fanned by social media. The Indian embassy in central London witnessed thousands protesting in support of the farmers in recent days.
Despite the spread of the coronavirus, New Delhi has become a big camp of farmers with entire families, cooking and sleeping in the open. Sikh religious organisations are engaged in distributing face masks, food and water.
The call for the general strike is supported by 20 regional and national opposition parties.
“It’s going to be a nightmare if there will be any serious unrest during the pandemic,” a senior home ministry bureaucrat overseeing security said, warning that police were given the permission to use water cannons or tear gas to disperse protests that are overcrowded.