PROTESTERS BESIEGE NEW DELHI, DEMAND REPEAL OF ANTI-FARMER LAWS

Hundreds of thousands of irate Indian farmers are besieging New Delhi, a city of 29 million people, and they are demanding that a raft of anti-farmer laws favoring agribusiness companies crafted by the government of Narendra Modi be scrapped.

Reporting for the Associated Press (AP), Sheikh Saaliq said the farmers, mostly Sikhs, have driven hundreds of kilometers with their tractors and farm vehicles to present their demands, bringing with them food, water and fuel enough for weeks.

Shouting “Inquilab Zindabad” — “Long live the revolution,” the farmers have been protesting for more than a week, saying the new farming laws willy-nilly approved by the Odi regime would open them to corporate exploitation. They have pushed aside concrete police barricades while braving tear gas, batons and water cannons.

Related Story: "Indian Gov't Invites Protesting Farmers for Talks"

“Modi wants to sell our lands to corporates,” said one of them, Kaljeet Singh, 31, who traveled from Ludhiana city in Punjab, some 310 kilometers (190 miles) north of New Delhi. “He can’t decide for millions of those who for generations have given their blood and sweat to the land they regard as more precious than their lives.”

The protesters fear the laws passed in September will lead the government to stop buying grain at minimum guaranteed prices and result in exploitation by corporations who will push down prices. Many activists and farming experts support their demand for a minimum guaranteed price for their crops.

The new rules will also eliminate agents who act as middlemen between the farmers and the government-regulated wholesale markets. Farmers say agents are a vital cog of the farm economy and their main line of credit, providing quick funds for fuel, fertilizers and even loans in case of family emergencies.

The laws have compounded existing resentment from farmers, who often complain of being ignored by the government in their push for better crop prices, additional loan waivers and irrigation systems to guarantee water during dry spells. The government has argued the laws bring about necessary reform that will allow farmers to market their produce and boost production through private investment. But farmers say they were never consulted.