The procession of tractors was scheduled to start after the celebrations and parade for India’s Republic Day had been concluded. But the procession started two hours early due to some confusion within the protestors.
A shipping container put to block their path was cleared by the tractors. Indian TV media showed farmers storming into the city holding flags, swords and tridents. Some small group of protestors broke away from the approved route of the rally and tipped over buses.
However, the majority of protestors are sticking with the approved route and heading towards the centre of Delhi.
“Once we make it inside Delhi, we’re not going anywhere until Modi repeals the law,” said a farmer Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Modi rushed three farming laws through Parliament in September that he hopes would inject private investment into a sector that has been ‘plagued for decades by inefficiency and lack of capital’. But farmers protested against the laws and allege that the easing of regulations by the government had left them at the mercy of multinational giants who would take over their businesses.