Skip links

Skip to Content
play

Live

Navigation menu

  • News
    • Middle East
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Ukraine war
  • Features
  • Economy
  • Opinion
  • Video
    • Coronavirus
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    • Podcasts
play

Live

In Pictures

Gallery

In Pictures: Indian farmers’ rebellion rattles Modi gov’t

Tens of thousands of farmers block highways in New Delhi as they fear new laws will put an end to minimum prices they have been guaranteed.

Farmers shout slogans at a police road block near the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border in Ghazipurto to stop them from marching to New Delhi to protest against the central government's recent agricultural reforms [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]
Published On 1 Dec 20201 Dec 2020
facebooktwitterwhatsapp

India’s government has invited protesting farmers for talks, seeking to allay concerns about new laws growers fear could pave the way for the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers.

Tens of thousands of people have been taking part in rallies in New Delhi, as they are worried the new laws will put an end to minimum prices guaranteed by the government.

“We are at one of the two national highways that are completely closed coming into Delhi, because tens of thousands of farmers are camped out here with hundreds of vehicles,” Al Jazeera’s Elizabeth Puranam, reporting from New Delhi, said.

“Because of this, there is a huge disruption coming into the Indian capital,” she said, adding that hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel with riot gear were deployed nearby.

The protests have intensified since last week when farmers arrived in trucks, buses and tractors at Delhi’s Singhu border with Haryana state and blocked the main northern highway into the capital.

Small growers fear the new laws will make them vulnerable to competition from big business, and that they could eventually lose price supports for staples such as wheat and rice.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi resisted calls for the repeal of farm reforms, saying growers were being misled and that new laws would benefit them.

Farmers attend a protest against the newly passed farm bills at the Singhu border near Delhi. [Danish Siddiqui/Reuters]
Advertisement
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to placate thousands of farmers protesting against new agriculture laws on Monday and said they were being misled by opposition parties and his government would resolve all their concerns. [Rishi Lekhi/AP Photo]
Small growers fear the new laws will make them vulnerable to competition from big business. [Rishi Lekhi/AP Photo]
Members of the Students' Federation of India block a road as they march in solidarity with the protesting farmers against the federal agriculture laws, in Kolkata. [Bikas Das/AP Photo]
Border Security Force (BSF) personnel block a road to stop farmers from marching to New Delhi. [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]
Farmers shout slogans near a police road block. [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]
Advertisement
Indian farmers sit at the back of their tractor trailor as they block traffic at the Delhi-Haryana state border. [Rishi Lekhi/AP Photo]
A farmer prays to mark the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh guru and founder of the Sikh faith, during a protest against the newly passed farm bills at Singhu border near Delhi. [Danish Siddiqui/Reuters]


    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Community Guidelines
    • Work for us
    • HR Quality
    • Contact Us
    • Apps
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • rss
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • youtube
  • twitter
  • facebook
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2022 Al Jazeera Media Network