Farmers protest: Key differences in 2020 versus 2024 agitation

Thousands of farmers from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were back on the road to the national capital on February 13 over two years after they had called off their strike. The move came after the last round of talks between the farmer leaders and the Union ministers remained inconclusive on February 12 night.  Massive security arrangements have been made and borders have been between Punjab and Haryana and Haryana and Delhi to deter farmers from entering New Delhi.

However, this protest is different from the ones the farmers held in 2020-2021. In 2020, the farmers protested the three farm laws. They were repealed by the Centre in 2021. However, the key demand this time is different. They want legal guarantee to MSP for all crops, full debt waiver and pension for farmers, the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's formula, and withdrawal of cases against farmers during the 2020 protest. According to the guidelines, the government sets the MSP for nearly two dozen commodities twice a year based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.