By Ahmad Adil
NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian farmers mostly from the country’s food bowl in the province of Punjab, began a march Tuesday to New Delhi to press the federal government to address demands, including a law to guarantee a ‘minimum support price’ for all crops.
Dozens of farm unions had called for the “Delhi Chalo,” or “March to Delhi,” more than two years after farmers marched toward New Delhi to protest three farm laws which were later repealed after they camped outside the capital for months.
“We began our march today from Punjab,” farm leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told Anadolu. He said talks with government ministers late Monday were inconclusive and they continued the planned march Tuesday.
He said farmers are open to talks with the government regarding their demands and the future course will have to be decided as the march progresses.
Television footage showed farmers in tractors headed toward New Delhi. Some, however, were detained by police in northern Haryana state as officials fired tear smoke shells against the farmers as they marched toward the capital.
Ahead of the march, authorities shut down mobile internet in places in Haryana and erected metal and concrete roadblocks on the road to New Delhi -- where authorities also banned public gatherings and deployed additional security personnel because of the march.
Officials in New Delhi said sufficient deployment of police and paramilitary personnel has been made at entry points to the city.
Among the nearly a dozen demands that farmers are pressing include a law on minimum support price which protects farmers from price shocks in case of a bad crop year and a full debit waiver, according to farm unions.
Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said that Tuesday the federal government “is bound to protect the interest of farmers.”
“Farmers also need to understand that inconvenience shouldn’t be caused to the public,” he said.
He added that the government is always ready for talks and discussions.
“We are ready to do everything possible to find a solution to this issue,” he said.