On 26 January, thousands of farmers stormed the Red Fort, in the heart of Delhi, to demand the repeal of three new farm laws imposed by the Modi government.  The march began as a "tractor parade" of hundreds of thousands, starting from the outskirts of Delhi, where they have been camping for the last two months.  They defied designated routes to get to the centre of the capital, breaking barricades and overpowering the police and paramilitary with their numbers, their tractors, and courage, amidst high-security Republic Day celebrations.  This was what was written on one of their banners: "We announce this is a war and it will go on until workers and peasants have won..."

    In fact there were simultaneous protests in 20 other states.  No wonder: over half the population is involved in agriculture, yet 1 in 5 in areas like Punjab are living in poverty; 10,000 Indian farmers commit suicide every year.  Modi's new laws are likely to destroy their already precarious livelihoods by allowing large multinational agribusinesses to dominate the market.  The serious unemployment crisis in the cities means that leaving the countryside is not an option.  So they say: "we will win or die".

    Workers in the industrial belts, surrounding the farmers’ sit-ins, had been watching the protests intensely, to see how far they would go and how the government would react.  Those trade union activists who aligned themselves with the farmers and who have led recent demonstrations over unpaid workers' wages, were arrested and beaten by the police in the days before the march.  And while no large trade union confederation or political party called, nor organised, for workers to join the tractor rally, many workers joined in individually, or in groups.  Some assembled and marched with the farmers from their own villages.  Others stayed at the sit-ins overnight to help with preparations for the rally.  They too, were part of the demonstration.

    Today, these workers are happy that the state paramilitary forces and police, which just last year had beaten them when they walked home during the lock-down, were pushed back.  They are happy that Modi and his ministers, who were surveying the army’s tanks and airplanes that morning, giving flowery speeches about "national unity", were pushed back.  We can only hope that India’s peasants and workers will now continue to push forward.