Thousands of farmers in India remain determined to resume their march on the capital, New Delhi. Their main demand is a minimum guaranteed price for their produce, and their protest may well pose the biggest election challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi

Thousands of farmers in India are steadfast in their protest, intending to resume their march toward the capital, New Delhi. Their core demand is a minimum guaranteed price for their crops, which they believe is essential for their livelihood. This ongoing protest is emerging as a significant challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, possibly affecting election outcomes. The agricultural community's resolve demonstrates a pivotal moment in India's socio-political landscape, underlining the critical importance of farming policies in the nation.



Why India's protesting farmers refuse to back down

Long live the revolution, they call. With national elections just around the corner, such rallying cries from India's farmers should make any government nervous. We will intensify the movement. There is no way we will go back now without the government agreeing to our demands. Modi is a dictator. He won't listen. We will sit here as long as we have to. I have told my wife and children that either I will come back successful or my dead body will. The farmers' main demand is a guaranteed minimum price for all their produce. They also want better pensions and their loans waived. But negotiations with government representatives have so far not led anywhere. Because of the election, the pressure on the government is increasing, as more farmers are joining in every day. The timing of the protest is not lost on anyone. India is set to hold national elections soon, and a big protest now could be a challenge for Narendra Modi, who is seeking a rare third term as prime minister. This is not his first brush with protesting farmers. In 2021, the farmers' movement, which lasted for over a year, forced Prime Minister Modi to roll back three controversial agricultural laws, which, according to farmers, could have led to corporatization of the farming sector. Three years on, Manjeet Singh is one of the leaders of this protest camp at Shambhu border in India's breadbasket state of Punjab. He says Narendra Modi also made strong promises to the farmers when he was in the opposition, including fixing the guaranteed minimum prices for crops, but did nothing after coming into power. MANJEET SINGH, Farmers' Movement Leader, Punjab If Modi is considered such a strong leader, someone who does not back down, then we should remind everyone that he is strong because of the people of the country. He should work for the people. We have no problem with who runs the government. We are just saying that the farmers, who are the backbone of the country, should at least be happy. With government data showing more than 50 percent of India's farmers in debt, economist Arun Kumar points to a growing disparity between urban and rural India. He says that, if not addressed, this imbalance of development could pose a political challenge for years to come. The reason is that you see 85 percent of the farmers are small and marginal farmers. The income that they're getting from farming is roughly around the poverty line, OK, or even below the poverty line. Because they have very low income, to continue farming, they have to borrow. So they're in debt. For now, heavy security forces and barbed wires are stopping Manjeet and the other farmers from marching to the capital city. But they are determined to stay put, miles away from their homes and families. For them, they say, it is a matter of survival.

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