Police in northern India used tear gas to stop thousands of protesting farmers from marching into Delhi demanding minimum prices for their crops.
The capital is surrounded on three sides by barbed wire, concrete blocks and fences to prevent protests. The government is concerned about a repeat of 2020. Dozens of people died in the year-long protests, which ended only after ministers agreed to repeal controversial farm laws.
But just two years later, farmers say their other demands are not being met.
India’s farmers form an influential voting bloc, and analysts say Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will avoid angering them. His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming for a third consecutive term in this year’s general elections.
Images on Tuesday showed thick clouds of tear gas being used to disperse protesters near the city of Ambala, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital. On Monday, police fired tear gas at the Shambhu border between Haryana and Punjab.
Many of the farmers are from Punjab and claim to want to cross Haryana peacefully to reach Delhi, but they are not allowed to do so. The situation remains tense, with reports of clashes between police and demonstrators at the border in Shambu province.
In 2020, protesting farmers went into hiding for months and blocked national highways connecting the capital to neighboring states. The movement was seen as one of the biggest challenges for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Traffic jams and chaos were reported across Delhi on Tuesday as authorities blocked roads and diverted traffic. Police have also banned large gatherings in the city, including at Delhi’s border points with neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Haryana states, through which farmers are expected to reach the capital.
In Haryana, the BJP-led state government has suspended internet services in seven districts till Tuesday. Two rounds of talks between leading representatives of agricultural unions and federal ministers have so far failed to break the impasse.
Farmers demand a minimum guaranteed price (also known as minimum support price or MSP) at which they can sell most of their produce in government-controlled wholesale markets and mandis. They are also calling on the government to fulfil its promise to double farmers’ incomes. Delhi’s borders have been sealed to prevent farmers from entering the city.
On Monday, federal ministers held a six-hour meeting with farmers’ union leaders. The two countries have reportedly agreed on some demands, including the withdrawal of cases registered against demonstrators during the 2020 protests. However, there was no consensus on MSP. In 2021, after the repeal of the farm laws, the government had announced that it would set up a committee to find ways to ensure support prices for all agricultural products. However, the committee has not yet submitted its report.