Unfazed Indian farmers continue protest against new laws

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By SHEIKH SAALIQ 
 NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of agitated farmers in India faced tear gas and baton charge from police on Friday as they resumed their march to the capital to protest new laws that they fear will give more power to corporations and reduce their earnings. 
 Heading toward New Delhi, the farmers used tractors to clear concrete blockades, walls of shipping containers and horizontally parked trucks, after police had set them up and dug trenches on highways to block roads leading to the capital. 
 The farmers were stopped by security personnel in riot gear who deployed in large numbers on the boundary between New Delhi and Haryana state. 
 Unfazed by the heavy security deployment and braving overnight rain and chilly winter, the protesting farmers dug in for a long stay.
 “We are fighting for our rights. We won’t rest until we reach the capital and force the government to abolish these black laws,” said Majhinder Singh Dhaliwal, a farmer leader.
 For the last two months, farmer unions unwilling to accept new legislation have camped on highways in Punjab and Haryana states.
 On Thursday, the farmers started their march to New Delhi to mount pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to abolish the laws but were stopped by police near Ambala district in Haryana. The farmers camped overnight and resumed their march early Friday.
 They say the laws, which were approved by Parliament in September, could cause the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices and result in their being exploited by corporations that would buy their crops at cheap prices. 
 The government has said the laws are aimed at reforming India’s farming sector by giving farmers the freedom to market their produce and boosting agricultural growth through private investment.
 Opposition parties and some Modi allies have called the laws anti-farmer and pro-corporation.
 In a bid to stop the protesters from riding commuter trains into the capital, the Delhi Metro said in a post on Twitter that some services were suspended. Traffic slowed to a crawl as vehicles were checked along state boundaries, leading to huge jams on some highways.
 Negotiations between the leaders of farmer unions and the government to defuse the standoff have been unsuccessful so far.
 Farmers say they will continue to protest until the government rolls back the laws.

Unfazed Indian farmers press on protests against new laws