Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed farmers who he said caused chaos last week during Republic Day festivities by storming New Delhi's historic Red Fort, which the premier called an "insult" to the country's values.
Modi made the remarks in a radio address on Sunday after silence over the months of protests by farmers against proposed laws that they say would favor big companies over small landholders. The farmers had been protesting in the capital during the winter months mostly peacefully.
But tens of thousands of farmers charged the fort on Jan. 26, leaving one dead and hundreds injured in clashes with police.
"The country was saddened by the insult to the Tricolor (Indian flag) on the 26th of January in Delhi. The government is committed to modernizing agriculture and is also taking many steps in that direction," Modi said during his radio address.
Leaders of pro-farmer groups and unions denied that they were responsible for the violence. Leaders said that the incident was caused by only a minority of protesters and most of those that joined were there to peacefully demonstrate the recently passed new agricultural laws.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party has insisted that the laws are meant to free farmers and enhance the sector, but protestors have claimed that the new laws are anti-farmer and pro-corporation.
Earlier in the month, the country's top court issued an order that effectively froze the enforcement of the new laws. It also formed a new committee tasked with resolving the standoff. So far, all negotiations have failed to result in a resolution.
On Saturday, Modi said that he has told opposition party leaders to retain the temporary suspension of enforcement for the new laws for 18 months. Opposition parties and some of Modi's allies have criticized the passing of the laws and have placed pressure on the prime minister's administration to accept the farmer's demand to scrap them altogether.
