| The Detroit News
Metro Detroit’s Indian community holds rally in support of farmers in India
The Indian community of Metro Detroit is holding a car rally in support of farmers in India in Detroit, Michigan on January 24, 2021.
Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
Hundreds of drivers were moving into downtown Detroit when snow fell heavily Sunday to show solidarity with farmers in India protesting against laws they say could destroy harvest prices and lower their earnings.
Thousands of Indian farmers have been demanding from the government for more than two months to repeal the laws.
“The Indian government is stubborn,” said Canton caravan organizer Amandeep Jhajj. “With this we want to tell the Indian government, the power is democracy and in the people, so that they have to listen to the Indian people and the Indian farmers.”
Supporters from across the Middle East, including Indiana, Ohio and Illinois, came to Detroit to participate in the rally.
The caravan started at Comerica Park, which filled two parking lots, and turned off traffic when police escorted the cars into Woodward and Jefferson, eventually ending up at Belle Isle.
Donations were raised to send to farmers and protesters in India who occupied the highways connecting the capital, New Delhi, with the country’s north for weeks.
Indian Americans have also been holding demonstrations and rallies in Canton and Troy over the past few months to express unity with the Indian farmers.
The Washington Post reported that several dozen farmers in India died of heart attacks and diseases as the protests continued. Four farmers have reportedly died of suicide, reports The Post.
“The farmers’ leaders, they have more than 11 meetings with the Indian government, but no results. So it goes back and forth to endanger the lives of our extended families in India. Their lives, their future, their livelihood depends on farming, ”Jhajj said.
Farmers fear that the Indian government will stop buying grain at the minimum guaranteed prices under three laws passed in September, and that businesses will then lower the prices. The government has said it is prepared to promise that guaranteed prices will continue.
The farmers say the laws will lead to the cartelization and commercialization of agriculture and make farmers vulnerable to corporations.
The farmers threatened to hold a rally on Tuesday when India celebrates Republic Day if their demands are not met.
“I am a daughter of farmers. I come from a long line of farmers from India, even though I was born here in the United States,” said Shelly Sahi, a Michigan resident. “One of the things I do not like about India is the undemocratic way of bringing these laws to the fore that hurts the people who feed the country.”
The situation escalated in November when tens of thousands of protesters marched on New Delhi, where they clashed with police.
The new regulations are exacerbating tensions there, and farmers have long complained that they are being ignored by the government in their demands for better harvest prices, additional loan variances and irrigation systems to guarantee water during dry periods.
With almost 60% of the Indian population dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, the growing peasant rebellion has toppled the government and allies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“As long as the protest continues, they will have the power to fight the government. The second time these protests are stopped, these peaceful protests, the government will no longer make the necessary changes to help the farmers in India,” said Sahi. said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.