It's been a little more than 2 years after the farmers called off their massive protest at the doorstep of Delhi, farmers are once again on the road to the capital.

At the Punjab-Haryana (Shambhu) border on Tuesday, protesting farmers began to remove the barricades, following which the Haryana police fired rounds of tear gas to disperse the protestors. Earlier, a number of farmers were detained and their vehicles were seized at the border by Haryana police soon after the 'Dilli Chalo' march began amid heavy security, as reported by IndianExpress.

In both its demands and leadership, the protest of 2024 is very different from the yearlong agitation of 2020-21, during which the farmers succeeded in their main goal of forcing the central government to roll back its agricultural reforms agenda.

This year's protest, Delhi Chalo was announced in 2023 demanding a legal guarantee to MSP for all crops, the implementation of Swaminathan Commission formula, full debt waiver for farmers, pension for farmers and labourers, and withdrawal of cases against farmers during the 2020-21 protests.

More than 250 farmers' unions under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha ( KMM), which claims to have the allegiance of about 100 unions, and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), a platform of another 150 unions, have called the protest that is being coordinated from Punjab.

As of today morning, tractor trollies have been on the move, and barricades, nails and heavy equipment have been deployed to thwart the protestors. Earlier, the Centre said it was open to talks and kept an 'open mind' on their demands.

In 2020, farmers were able to come--to the national capital but this time the administration has taken strict pre-emptive measures. Barbed wire, cement barricade, nails on roads -- all roads to Delhi have been blocked. Section 144 has been imposed in Delhi. Haryana government sealed its borders with Punjab.