In an effort to secure guaranteed prices for their crops, thousands of farmers are protesting and marching to Delhi, the capital of India, from nearby states.
Farmers have set up camp at Delhi’s borders in 2020 to voice their opposition to divisive agricultural reforms.
The government agreed to remove the restrictions, which resulted to the cancellation of the year-long protest that claimed many lives.
They were attacked with tear gas by police on Monday at the Shambhu border crossing between Punjab and Haryana.
Farmers, the most of whom are from Punjab, claim they have been denied the ability to peacefully traverse Haryana and arrive in Delhi. There have also been reports of altercations between demonstrators and police at the Shambhu border, and things are still tense there.
Farmers say they will continue to demonstrate in Delhi till their main demands are met.
In an effort to prevent a recurrence of 2020, when protesting farmers barricaded national highways connecting the capital to neighboring states for months, Delhi police have sealed the borders on three sides of the city. One of the main obstacles facing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration was the movement.
On Tuesday, authorities in Delhi reported traffic bottlenecks and interruptions due to the blocking of roads and route changes.
Leaders of farm unions and federal ministries have held two rounds of discussions, but neither time has been able to break the impasse.
Farmers are requesting guaranteed floor prices, sometimes referred to as minimum support prices, or MSPs, so they they to sell the majority of their produce at mandis, or wholesale markets under government control. In addition, they want the government to keep its word and double farmers’ profits.
