Thousands of farmers in India blocked highways and rail tracks on Monday to give renewed momentum to their months-long demand for scrapping agricultural laws that have triggered the country\u2019s longest farm protest and presented a political challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n
The nationwide protest, or \u201cbharat bandh,\u201d was held on the first anniversary of the passage of the laws that the government says will modernize the agricultural sector, but which farmers fear will spell an existential threat to their livelihoods.<\/p>\n
The legislation allows farmers to do business outside government-run wholesale markets where they have sold their crops for decades at guaranteed prices.<\/p>\n
But farmers fear that opening up sales of farm produce to the corporate sector will end an era of assured prices for crops like rice and wheat. They say farmers in states such as Bihar where the system has been scrapped are already in distress and get a lower price for their crop.<\/p>\n
Defiant farmers have camped on highways on the outskirts of New Delhi since November amid the persisting stalemate \u2014 the government has often said it is open to a dialogue but will not repeal the laws.<\/p>\n
On Monday, thousands of farmers waving flags converged outside key roads leading to the Indian capital choking traffic. A farmer from Haryana, Sunil Kumar, who was among the protestors, said the stir demonstrated the farmers\u2019 determination to continue their struggle has not ended.<\/p>\n
Life was also disrupted in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, lush rice and wheat growing states, that have been at the forefront of the protest.<\/p>\n
The farmers stir also reverberated in the south of the country \u2014 they held protests in the southern cities of Chennai and Bengaluru and Kerala state. In some places they squatted on rail tracks.<\/p>\n
Ahead of Monday\u2019s protest, Rakesh Tikait, one of the farm leaders spearheading the stir, said that they are ready to protest for ten years, but will not allow the \u201cblack legislation\u201d to be passed.<\/p>\n
Several opposition parties including the Congress Party have supported the farmers\u2019 demands. In a tweet, senior leader Rahul Gandhi called the government \u201cexploitative\u201d and extended support to farmers using hashtag #Istandwithfarmers.<\/p>\n
The government maintains the laws will improve farm incomes and agricultural productivity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called them a \u201cwatershed moment\u201d for Indian agriculture when they were passed last year.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s agriculture has not kept pace with its economy shrinking to just 15% of gross domestic product over the decades. But nearly two thirds of the country, or some 800 million people, depend on agriculture for their livelihood as the country has not been able to generate enough non-farm-based jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe protest is a reflection of the compound anger they carry at the neglect of agriculture, especially farmers\u2019 incomes which have become so low over the decades,\u201d says agriculture economist Devinder Sharma. \u201cThe government believes that facilitating corporate entry would pull agriculture out of the crisis but that will not help because a majority of the farmers are small.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bulk of Indian farmers own plots of less than one hectare and fear that the laws will make them vulnerable to corporates that will drive down prices and force them to sell their land.<\/p>\n
With the stalemate showing no signs of a resolution, the political impact of the farmers stir will be tested early next year when elections in India\u2019s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, are held.<\/p>\n
Farmers from the state that adjoins New Delhi are among those who have been at the forefront of the ten-month old agitation. They held a mammoth rally earlier this month and say they will step up protests across the state ahead of the polls to show that the government is pursuing what they call anti-farmer policies.<\/p>\n
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Source: Voice of America<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"