By Alasdair Pal
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that protesters storming New Delhi’s Red Fort had caused “insult” to the country, his first public comments about a months-long peasant excitement that turned violent last week.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been camping on the outskirts of the capital for more than two months, protesting new agricultural laws that they believe will benefit private buyers at the expense of growers.
A Republic Day tractor parade on Tuesday turned violent as some protesters deviated from pre-arranged routes, clashed with police and broke into the capital’s historic Red Fort complex. One died and hundreds were injured.
“The country was saddened by the insult to the Tricolor (Indian flag) on January 26 in Delhi,” Modi said in a radio address on Sunday.
“The government is committed to modernizing agriculture and is also taking many steps in that direction.”
Farm leaders say they were not responsible for violence caused by a minority of those on the parade, and the government has left open the possibility that talks between the two sides will resume.
Modi told opposition party leaders Saturday that an offer to freeze the laws for 18 months is still in effect, according to a summary of the government meeting.
Agriculture employs about half of India’s workforce, and unrest among an estimated 150 million landowners has been one of the biggest challenges to Modi’s rule since he first came to power in 2014.
(This story corrects to last week, not this week, in first paragraph)
(Reporting by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Sam Holmes)