Farm laws repealed
The three contentious farm laws have been repealed today by the Government of India.
The announcement was made by the PM Narendra Modi while he was addressing the nation virtually on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “We have decided to repeal all three farm laws, will begin the procedure at the Parliament session that begins this month. I urge farmers to return home to their families and let’s start afresh.”
“Today, while apologizing to the countrymen, I want to say with a sincere and pure heart that perhaps there must have been some deficiency in our efforts, due to which we could not explain the truth like the light of the lamp to some farmers” said the PM.
The PM said that the laws were welcomed by majority of farmers but a certain section was not ready to accept the laws. The PM mentioned how having them on board is essential for him and his government.
The Farm Laws
The three Farm Laws, viz., the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020, were enacted last year with a view to open up the markets and raise the farmers incoming.
However, instead of the laws being celebrated as a liberation from the hands of mandis, the laws were protested against countrywide.
When the farmers felt no progress was being made, they marched towards Delhi and on 26th November, 2020 blocked a few roads and protested against the laws.
The crowd kept thickening with farmers from all around India showing their solidarity to the protests. The majority of farmers were from Punjab, Haryana and western UP. This can be attributed to the proximity of the region from the national capital.
Experts have also pointed out that the major effects of these farm laws would be felt in the aforementioned regions the most, and hence they are at the forefront of the fight.
The government thought that the protests would die down soon but the protestors were in no mood to back down.
Soon, it seemed that a different town was being built by the farmers with places of worship, kitchens, washrooms, mini markets, etc. being erected.
The government took cognizance of the situation and initiated talks to reach an agreement. The talks lasted for 11 rounds but the ice could not be broken.
A lot has happened since then, it has almost been a year since the time farmers started protesting. More than 700 farmers have been “martyred in the fight against the laws” and today the good news of the laws being repealed was made by the central government.
Celebrations
Farmers performed special ‘yagnas’ and danced to drum beats as celebrations broke out at the Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu border points on Friday soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced repealing of the farm laws.
Opposition
While BJP leaders are lauding the statesmanship showcased by the PM, opposition has hit out at him for being responsible for the death of 700+ farmers.
The Left parties, RJD, TMC and AAP have all welcomed the repeal of the three farm laws. However, the opposition has also pointed out the timing of the decision as the states of Punjab and UP are poll bound now.
Farm leaders
All India Kisan Congress leader Rakesh Kumar Singh on Friday welcomed the Centre’s decision to repeal the new farm laws saying “better late than never”. “Although it has been done in view of coming polls, it is better late than never,” Singh said in a tweet.
The farmer leaders have mentioned that they won’t budge from the Delhi borders until a suitable provision is made for the MSP (Minimum Support Price).
The leaders also said the protest was not just against the farm laws but also against other needs of the farmers like MSP as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission, Withdrawal of Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020, an end to the fines and jail sentences imposed for stubble burning and protection of Mandi System.