Farmers steadfast in their quest for guaranteed crop prices and other demands, prepare to recommence their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march towards the national capital today. Prevailing discussions with the government have not borne fruit, compelling the farmers to take up their cause once more. Equipped with gas masks and reinforced gear, participants are resolved to cross the Punjab-Haryana border, despite the formidable blockade implemented by authorities through cement and metal barricades, barbed wire, and even iron spikes. This is a deliberate strategy to prevent a recurrence of the events from 2021’s farmer protests.
With a tactical approach reminiscent of a battlefield, the protesters have brought in excavators and JCB machines, modified to safeguard them from law enforcement measures such as rubber bullets and shotgun pellets. Additionally, they have amassed thousands of sandbags, which are expected to help forge temporary routes around the blockades. On the other side, the Haryana Police, anticipating the protesters’ move, have escalated their efforts to intercept any equipment that could be leveraged to dismantle the barriers and have voiced concerns over the potential danger to security forces.
The crux of the farmers’ agitation lies in the demand for legislation that would assure minimum support prices for crops and fulfill other promises like income enhancement, loan waivers, and retraction of cases against protesters from the previous 2021 demonstrations. With thousands of people and vehicles, including 1,200 tractor-trolleys and 300 cars, marshaled at the border points since the halt of their march by security forces on February 13, the resolve appears unwavering. After turning down the Centre’s new proposal for a temporary procurement of certain crops, the farmer leaders are set to press on with their march to Delhi, reiterating their stance for a legal MSP guarantee and addressing their suite of demands.