Indian farmers ride caravan of tractors into capital ahead of Republic
Day
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 [January 25, 2021]
By Manoj Kumar
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Caravans of tractors
clogged a key highway in northern India on Monday as tens of thousands
of farmers protesting against agriculture reforms streamed into the
capital ahead of celebrations for Republic Day.
India marks its founding as a republic on Tuesday with a military parade
in the historic city centre, but the farmers, who are demanding a
rollback of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's deregulation effort, plan
their own peaceful show of strength.
"We will teach Modi a lesson that he will never forget," said one of the
protesters, from the district of Ludhiana in Punjab, who drove his own
tractor. The 35-year-old, who cultivates 10 acres (4 hectares), asked
not to be identified.
Loudspeakers blared anti-government songs as the lengthy procession of
vehicles rolled down National Highway 44, accompanied by dozens of
community kitchens to hand out hot meals and beverages in the winter
cold.
Farmers mainly drawn from the breadbasket states of Punjab and adjoining
Haryana have blockaded approaches into New Delhi for about two months to
protest against three new farm laws they say will hurt their livelihoods
and help big companies.
Their unions are pushing for repeal of the laws, after rejecting a
government proposal to suspend the measures it says will usher in
much-needed steps to boost farmer incomes.
Several rounds of talks with Modi's government have made little headway,
and protesters now aim to up the ante with the procession set to follow
Tuesday's military parade.
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Farmers participate in a tractor rally to protest against the newly
passed farm bills, on a highway on the outskirts of New Delhi,
India, January 7, 2021. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo
Top leaders and military officials attend the annual high-security
parade to mark the day India's constitution took effect in 1950.
At the weekend, police said they would allow at least 12,000
tractors to traverse a 100-km (62-mile) stretch around the capital,
despite some intelligence warnings of possible efforts to disrupt
the farmers' peaceful rally.
A farmers' group exhorted its members to refrain from violence in
detailed instructions issued for Tuesday's event.
"Remember, our aim is not to conquer Delhi, but to win over the
hearts of the people of this county," it said.
In the western state of Maharashtra, thousands of farmers were also
on the move, flocking to a flag-hoisting ceremony on Tuesday in the
heart of Mumbai, India's financial capital.
"We are here to support farmers in Delhi, to highlight that farmers
across the country are against the farm laws," said Ashok Dhawale, a
state protest leader.
(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Additional reporting by Rajendra Jadav in
Mumbai and Saurabh Sharma in Lucknow; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal;
Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Clarence Fernandez)
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