NEW DELHI – Thousands of Indian farmers blocked traffic on main roads and train tracks outside the country’s capital on Monday.

Farmers have renewed their protests with calls for a nationwide strike on the anniversary of the passage of the law. The protracted demonstrations presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with one of the greatest political challenges, who won the elections for the second time in 2019.

Hundreds of farmers gathered on Monday at one of the protest locations on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi with colorful flags and distributed free food.

“The enthusiasm we had on the first day is much stronger and bigger now.” said Manjit Singh, a 45-year-old farmer and protester.

Mohini Kaur, a 61-year-old resident of New Delhi, traveled to the protest site to demonstrate her support for the farmers.

“These lion-hearted farmers are here today under the hot sun. They were exposed to rain, heat and cold. “ She said.

The protesters expressed their determination to keep the movement going – some even brought mattresses and camped during the day.

Along the southwest and eastern fringes of New Delhi, protesting farmers overcrowded the highways, choked traffic and cut off access from the capital to neighboring states. Police were dispatched to three main demonstration sites on the outskirts of the city to maintain law and order.

A coalition of peasant unions known as Samyukta Kisan Morcha or United Peasant Front has called on shops, offices, factories and other institutions to close their doors in solidarity for the ten-hour strike. However, the strike calls seemed largely unanswered as most companies continued to operate as usual across the capital.

The government has defended the legislation, stating that it is necessary to modernize agriculture and that the laws will boost production through private investment. But farmers say the new legislation will destroy their revenues by removing guaranteed prices and forcing them to sell their crops to corporations at cheaper prices.

Thousands of protesters also blocked highways in neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana – the country’s two largest agricultural producers – causing traffic in some areas to come to a standstill.

In the eastern state of Bihar, trains stopped as farmers squatted on train tracks. Protesters also took to the streets, shouting anti-government slogans, burning tires and blocking roads across the region. Police said around 500 protesters were detained but added that the shutdown remained peaceful.

Hundreds of people marched in the southern city of Bengaluru on Monday to support the anti-government protest. In the southern state of Kerala, the ruling Left Democratic Front has called for a complete shutdown, local media reported.

Opposition parties in India, including the Congress Party, have supported the farmers. Senior leader Rahul Gandhi called the government “Exploitative” and said he was with the farmers on Monday.