Violence at Farmer Protests in India Deepens Modi’s Challenge
9 October
The deaths of eight people during a farmers’ protest in northern India have sparked days of demonstrations around the country and deepened anger against an overhaul of the country’s agricultural laws.In a country where two-thirds of the population lives in rural areas dependent on farming, the protests are presenting a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for market-oriented changes.
It is nearly a year since Mr. Modi dismantled longstanding rules that gave farmers a guaranteed minimum price for their crops, yet the uproar set off by the overhaul shows no signs of easing. The Supreme Court of India has temporarily suspended the rules.