India's angry farmers mass 25,000 tractors in march on Delhi
Protesters demand guaranteed crop prices and debt forgiveness
New Delhi: India's farmers have amassed a protest fleet of 25,000 tractors and more are expected to join as growers march on the nation's capital, demanding guaranteed crop prices and loan waivers to ease cost pressures.
Farmers mainly from Punjab and Haryana are seeking to congregate at an 18th-century observatory called Jantar Mantar in Delhi "- a traditional protest point "- but police have set up metal barriers and barbed wire to halt their advance. Footage has also showed the use of teargas to disperse people.
"The government is trying its best to stop us," Shiv Kumar Sharma, a farmer leader from the central state of Madhya Pradesh participating in the protest, who provided the figure on the tractors moving toward Delhi. Sharma said he was stuck with other growers after police action to close state borders.
The protest is a headache for Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is seeking a third term in power following a general election that's just weeks away. Rural voters are crucial in Indian elections and the demonstration will be difficult for the government to ignore. A nearly five-hour long meeting on Monday between officials and farmers ended without a resolution.
The demand for a minimum price for each crop dates back to protests in 2020 and remains unresolved. The government has said previously that it would be a struggle to adopt the measure beyond key staples.