Protesting farmers show black flags to Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on his way to Ambala

The BJP-led Haryana government has been claiming for days that only some farmers aren't happy with the new laws.

However, the number of farmers, a majority of who arrived from neighbouring Punjab, has been steadily rising to protest against the laws along the border with Delhi.

On Tuesday, the farmers tried to block the long convoy that was escorting Khattar.

The police then had to persuade them to give way.

In visuals, several farmers could be seen waving black flags and even sticks at Khattar's convoy.

The Chief Minister's convoy had to slow down considerably on seeing a large number of farmers blocking the road ahead, NDTV quoting sources said. Eventually, the convoy had to take a U-turn, they said.

The Chief Minister was going to Ambala to campaign for BJP candidates in the election to the municipal corporation.

Thousands of farmers are camped in Delhi-Haryana border for 27 straight days with the sole demand of the repeal of the laws enacted by the central government through an Ordinance amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

One of the Centre's new farm laws will now allow farmers to sell their produce to institutional buyers beyond the regulated wholesale market.

Though the middlemen in the wholesale markets are often accused of usurping the farmers in the earlier agricultural system, the protesters, backed by several opposition parties, fear they will have little bargaining power while selling their produce to institutional buyers, running the risk of getting exploited with the gradual destablising of the mundies.   

The several rounds of talks between the union ministers and farmers' representatives went in vain as the peasants were stubborn in their demands while the government was in no mood to repeal the laws.