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Farmers head for Delhi on tractors ahead of Republic Day celebrations

 

Hundreds of farmers blocked the northern highway with caravan convoys in protest of the Indian government's controversial agrarian reforms.

According to the foreign news agency, the caravan of farmers riding on tractors has left for the capital before the Republic Day celebrations.

On the one hand, a military parade will be held in India on the main occasion of the Republic Day on Tuesday.

"We will teach Modi a lesson he will never forget," said one protester from Ludhiana district in Punjab.

Protesters are playing anti-government tunes on loudspeakers.

Long queues of tractors occupy National Highway 44.

According to local media, the protesters are surrounded by dozens of community kitchens and hot drinks and food are being provided to protect them from the cold.

Farmers' unions are pushing for the law to be scrapped after the government rejected a government proposal to suspend protests.

There has been some progress in several talks with the Modi government and the protesters are now set to begin a series of processions after the military parade on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, police said there were some reports of chaos at the farmers' peaceful rally, but they would still allow 1,200 tractors to cover 100km (62 miles) around the capital.

A peasant group urged its members to refrain from violence.

He said, 'Remember! Our goal is not to conquer Delhi, but to win the hearts of the people of the region.

It should be noted that Indian farmers in the western state of Maharashtra were also present at the flag-raising ceremony in the center of the capital Mumbai.

"We are here in Delhi to support the farmers, to show that farmers across the country are against the proposed laws," said Ashok Dhole, a state protest leader.

It may be recalled that the agrarian reform law in India was passed in September and the farmers' protest has been going on since then, which intensified when the protesters marched towards the Indian capital.

Thousands of farmers have committed suicide in recent years due to the drought and the growing debt burden.

Legislation was passed earlier this year that would give farmers the freedom to sell their produce to anyone at any price of their choice, instead of selling it in certain markets at state-fixed rates.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as a "complete change in the agricultural sector" that would encourage the investment and innovation needed to empower "millions of farmers".

However, the Congress, the ruling party in Punjab and the main opposition party, supported the protest, arguing that the change had left farmers at the mercy of a large corporation.

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