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dpa
New Delhi
Thousands of farmers were stopped by police on Thursday as they tried to reach the Indian capital to protest a set of new laws that they say will curb their earnings and benefit big corporations.
Police in New Delhi’s neighbouring state of Haryana used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the farmers who tried to move towards Delhi on foot, in buses and on tractors, NDTV news channel reported.
At one site the farmers retaliated by throwing bricks and pushing aside barricades.
Farmers and their leaders were detained at several sites.
The borders of the national capital have been sealed, and metro services in several areas shut down, with police saying no rallies were allowed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government insists that the laws passed by parliament in September will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce to big institutional buyers.
The government says this will fetch better prices and free farmers from traditional middlemen who dominate the trade. Critics say the changes will leave farmers vulnerable to market forces.
Farmers have been protesting since September against the new laws, especially in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, known as the grain bowls of India.
Farmers groups from five states had called for the Dilli Chalo (Go to Delhi) campaign on Thursday.
Large deployments of police and paramilitary forces could be seen at all entry points into Delhi from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states, both also governed by BJP. Vehicles were being checked, and those with farmers were being asked to turn back.
“Why should farmers be stopped from travelling to Delhi? They are citizens of India and have the right to protest peacefully,” said Avik Saha, national convenor of Jai Kisan Andolan, a forum of farmers’ organisations.
“We have been holding protests in our regions, but the central government takes no notice, so we decided we should take the protest to Delhi,” Tarnjeet Uppal, a farmer from Punjab state, told NDTV.
Uppal was travelling to Delhi in a tractor that had mattresses, blankets and food provisions for two months.
“Do the authorities think they can stop the protest by blockading Delhi’s borders?” Saha said. “The farmers are in this for the long haul.” Agriculture makes up about 15 per cent of India’s economy and is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 per cent of its population.
New Delhi
Thousands of farmers were stopped by police on Thursday as they tried to reach the Indian capital to protest a set of new laws that they say will curb their earnings and benefit big corporations.
Police in New Delhi’s neighbouring state of Haryana used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the farmers who tried to move towards Delhi on foot, in buses and on tractors, NDTV news channel reported.
At one site the farmers retaliated by throwing bricks and pushing aside barricades.
Farmers and their leaders were detained at several sites.
The borders of the national capital have been sealed, and metro services in several areas shut down, with police saying no rallies were allowed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government insists that the laws passed by parliament in September will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce to big institutional buyers.
The government says this will fetch better prices and free farmers from traditional middlemen who dominate the trade. Critics say the changes will leave farmers vulnerable to market forces.
Farmers have been protesting since September against the new laws, especially in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, known as the grain bowls of India.
Farmers groups from five states had called for the Dilli Chalo (Go to Delhi) campaign on Thursday.
Large deployments of police and paramilitary forces could be seen at all entry points into Delhi from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states, both also governed by BJP. Vehicles were being checked, and those with farmers were being asked to turn back.
“Why should farmers be stopped from travelling to Delhi? They are citizens of India and have the right to protest peacefully,” said Avik Saha, national convenor of Jai Kisan Andolan, a forum of farmers’ organisations.
“We have been holding protests in our regions, but the central government takes no notice, so we decided we should take the protest to Delhi,” Tarnjeet Uppal, a farmer from Punjab state, told NDTV.
Uppal was travelling to Delhi in a tractor that had mattresses, blankets and food provisions for two months.
“Do the authorities think they can stop the protest by blockading Delhi’s borders?” Saha said. “The farmers are in this for the long haul.” Agriculture makes up about 15 per cent of India’s economy and is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 per cent of its population.
