Angry farmers once forced India’s hardline leader into a rare retreat. As the election looms, they’re back

CNN —

Just over two years after they strongarmed Prime Minister Narendra Modi into an exceptional U-turn, India’s protesting farmers are back on the streets – and this time the stakes are higher.

For about two weeks now, thousands of angry farmers have gathered at the borders of India’s capital to demand higher fixed prices for their crops, just weeks before a nationwide election that is expected to see Modi clinch a rare third term in power.

A heavy security presence has so far prevented the farmers from marching on New Delhi and violent clashes have seen police fire tear gas and water cannons. Tensions rose further last week after the death of a protester near the Punjab border, according to the state’s chief minister, who has ordered a probe into the case.

The scene is reminiscent of 2021, when in a rare break from his uncompromising leadership style, Modi repealed controversial laws aimed at modernizing the agricultural sector following more than a year of mass farmers’ protests.

Modi promised “a fresh start,” agreeing to meet the farmers’ demands and work with them to move forward.

But the farmers say those promises were broken, and this time, they will not return home until their demands are met.

Police fire teargas to disperse farmers marching towards New Delhi during a protest at the Haryana-Punjab state border on February 21, 2024.

The confrontation, analysts say, has sewn apprehension in the highest echelons of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is wary of antagonizing the farmers – one of the country’s most influential voting blocs – ahead of an expected May election.

With the BJP facing a fractured opposition that is yet to present a clear candidate for prime minister, the farmers have