Indian farmers orchestrate a ‘tractor chain’ to encircle the capital
New Delhi, INDIA (EFE) – Indian farmers called for a “tractor chain” to create a blockade around New Delhi on Monday, as part of the massive agrarian protests underway for almost two weeks demanding minimum support prices (MSP) for their crops.
“A program to take out a ‘tractor chain’ has been decided. Tractors will be parked on the highway that leads to Delhi, especially the divider highway,” Rakesh Tikait, one of the leaders of the protest – in which they have been attempting to march towards the capital -, told ANI agency.
“It was decided to register a different kind of protest so that the government would listen to us and not forget the farmers,” he added.
READ MORE : Black Friday in India after farmer died in anti-government protests
To prevent their march and the blockade, authorities in New Delhi and the city of Noida, adjacent to the capital, announced on Monday that they would install barriers and increase controls on their border, and warned of the possibility of major traffic disruptions in the area.
The New Delhi Police and the Noida Police will conduct intensive checks by installing barriers at all borders from Noida to the New Delhi border, according to a statement by the Noida Traffic Police.
This “tractor chain” is part of the mass agrarian protest that began almost two weeks ago in northern India, when a group of farmers began a rally toward New Delhi, in an attempt to pressurize the government to implement a law that guarantees MSP for crop production to protect its value from market fluctuations..
However, on the first day, the police stopped them at the border between the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. It led to clashes between the farmers and security forces, who used tear gas to stop their march.
The march was supposed to resume on Saturday after a temporary two-day truce by the farmers following the death of a farmer.
Farmers blame the police for the death of 23-year-old Shubh Karan Singh at the Khanauri border and demand prosecution of those responsible.
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court alleging rights violations of “peacefully protesting” farmers by the government.
Meanwhile, Haryana police said they had asked the farmers to cooperate in maintaining order, assuring they would not arrest protest leaders, as they had previously threatened.
Thousands of farmers on hundreds of tractors from Haryana and Punjab are marching to the capital to press home their demands, which include pensions for farmers, debt waivers, and the withdrawal of police cases filed against demonstrators during the 2021 protests.
The farmers also plan to carry out the burning of effigies by government authorities or the World Trade Organization (WTO), which they blame for the government’s moves towards ending subsidies.
India witnessed a massive farmer protest between 2020 and 2021, when thousands of farmers camped for almost 15 months outside Delhi, opposing an agrarian reform of the Indian government.
Modi had to bow to pressure and repeal a newly enacted law, which farmers said gave too much power to big companies by deregulating the market.
Peasant associations say the government has not met all their demands. EFE