Following the death of a young farmer who was participating in the demonstration, the farmers decided to call off their strike at the end of February.
Delhi’s borders have been strongly sealed, and police have been deployed, to prevent the march from taking place.
Even though India is only a few months away from hosting general elections, the farmers’ demonstrations have already resumed.
According to commentators, the federal administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not want to provoke farmers so close to the election because they constitute a significant voting group in the country.
At the beginning of February, when the farmers’ demonstrations had originally resumed, the government had held discussions with unions to prevent the farmers from marching to Delhi from the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, which are located near Delhi.
There were at least three instances in which negotiations with the government were unsuccessful because the authorities were unable to fulfill all of their demands.
In addition to requesting that their prices be guaranteed, the farmers have also requested that the government take care of their debts and provide pensions for the elderly.
According to the demonstrators, the government ought to increase the number of work days that are guaranteed to be provided under the rural employment guarantee scheme from 100 to 200. Additionally, the farmers are demanding that India withdraw from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and terminate any free trade agreements within the country.
On Wednesday, farmers from all over the country will attempt to converge in Delhi by using public transportation, such as buses and metros, in response to a request that was issued by two different farmers’ unions. Additionally, the farmers have issued a request for “rail roko,” which means that trains should be stopped for four hours on March 10th.
The demands made by the protesters are a direct result of the farmers’ demonstrations that took place in Delhi in the year 2020. Farmers at the time demanded that the government abandon three proposed farm legislation that would have reduced regulations regarding the sale of farm food, the price of farm produce, and the storage of farm produce.
The new regulations, according to the statements made by farm unions, could put them at a disadvantage because they would open the markets to free trade by large corporations. In November 2021, the federal government decided to withdraw from adopting the proposed rules, which had been the subject of protests for some months.
Farmers had only withdrawn from the strike after the government made other commitments, such as the establishment of a committee to investigate the introduction of a minimum support price for all crops. Even though this was regarded as a significant success for farmers, they had already withdrawn from the strike.
Farmers have recently expressed their belief that the government has failed to fulfill the additional commitments that were given in the year 2021.
During February, the demonstrations became violent when the police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. Along the way, a farmer who was 22 years old passed away at the Punjab border. According to statements made to the BBC by state authorities in Punjab, the young man had died as a result of a lead gunshot wound to the head. His family had refused to get his remains cremated and demanded that action be taken against the police officers who were allegedly responsible for firing at the demonstrators.
To show respect for the deceased individual, the agricultural unions decided to put a halt to their demonstrations until February came to a close. It was after the funeral prayers that took place on Sunday that the protesters announced that they had decided to resume their march to Delhi.