Three critical drivers that are lending colour to the farmers' protest

Protesters want a complete repeal of the three laws along with a guarantee that no crop inside or outside the mandis will be bought below the state-mandated MSP by anyone

Hundreds of thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other parts of the country have laid siege across the capital’s main entry points in protest against the three agriculture acts passed by Parliament recently. The farmers are demanding a complete repeal of the three laws along with a guarantee that no crop inside or outside the mandis will be purchased below the state-mandated Minimum Support Price (MSP) by anyone. Behind the protests are a host of economic and social factors that have given the agitation a unique character and colour.

Political forces: While the farmers’ groups and leaders have