NEW DELHI: Farmers marked the 100th day of protest on Saturday and blocked the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway to add pressure on the central government against the three contentious farm laws.
Farmers headed in cars, trucks and tractors to the highway for a five-hour roadblock to oppose three farm laws enacted in September 2020 they say hurt them by opening up the agriculture sector to private players.
The protest, which began at 11 am, would continue till 4 pm. Their plan of action includes freeing up the toll plazas from collecting fees. Those protesting at Singhu border blocked the toll plazas located on the way to the KMP Expressway.
Besides, the farmers from Ghazipur and Tikri borders blocked Dasna and Bahadurgarh toll plaza, respectively.
Those sitting on the Shahjahanpur border blocked the KMP Expressway touching Gurugram-Manesar.
The farmers' agitation against the farm laws passed by the Centre, had started on November 26 last year.
The move to block the expressway is a part of the strategy to intensify the ongoing protest against the contentious legislations.
"We are currently collating our strength. Farmers from across the state are coming for this cause. We are also moving as many of our trolleys have already reached the KMP," Karamjit Singh, Haryana state president of Yogendra Yadav-led Jai Kisan Andolan told IANS.
"The Modi government has turned this protest movement into an ego issue. They are unable to see the pain of the farmers," said Amarjeet Singh, a 68-year-old farmer from Punjab. "They have left us no option but to protest."
PM Modi has called the laws much-needed reforms for the country's vast and antiquated agriculture sector, and painted the protests as politically motivated.
Tens of thousands of farmers from several have been camped out on the outskirts of the national capital in bitter cold since December demanding that the laws be repealed.
Their movement gained international attention and support, including from celebrities such as climate activist Greta Thunberg and US singer Rihanna, but several rounds of negotiations between farmer leaders and the government have failed.
The central government has lashed out at supporters of the protests and stands accused by rights activists of using heavy-handed tactics to curb the protests.
While the protests have been mostly peaceful, a brief spate of violence on January 26 led to the death of a protestor, and the police have filed criminal charges against eight journalists over alleged misreporting on the events of the day.
"The Indian authorities' response to protests has focused on discrediting peaceful protesters, harassing critics of the government, and prosecuting those reporting on the events," Human Rights Watch said in a statement last month.
As the capital braces for harsh summers and the harvesting season begins, farmers gathering on Saturday said they had no plans to turn back until their demands were met.
"Bitter cold didn't affect our movement, and neither will deathly heat," said Raja Singh, a 58-year-old farmer from Punjab.