Indian police on Wednesday fired tear gas to disperse thousands of farmers who resumed their march on the capital with cranes and excavators. They continue to demand higher prices for their crops, which are supported by law. This is after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government broke down, Reuters reports.

The protests are taking place just a few months before the parliamentary elections, which are due to be held in May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is running for a third term.

Police fired tear gas and tried to disperse the crowd, which advanced along highways and fields around the capital, spreading panic and tension among the participants.

Farmers, some with cranes and excavators, clashed with law enforcement as they tried to continue the march to New Delhi, a symbol of government power.

To escape the burning gas and plumes of smoke, thousands of farmers, some wearing medical masks, fled to the fields around their assembly point on a highway about 200 km north of New Delhi.

Discussions with the authorities, failure

Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda tried to calm the mood and called for dialogue, promising to resume talks to resolve farmers’ problems.

However, many farmers remain skeptical of the government’s intentions and remain determined to make their voices heard through peaceful means or, where appropriate, mass protests.

“After the fourth round, the government is ready to discuss all issues,” he wrote on the X social network after the resumption of the march.

“I again invite the farmers’ leaders to the negotiations. It is important for us to preserve peace.”

On Monday, farmers’ groups rejected an earlier government proposal for five-year contracts and guaranteed price support for products such as corn, cotton and vegetables.

Farmers, mostly from the northern state of Punjab, demanded higher, legally guaranteed prices for their crops.

They form an influential group of voters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot afford to upset ahead of the general elections.