Farmers decide to continue their agitation till farm laws are formally repealed

NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation on November 19 announced that the three contentious farm laws introduced in 2020 will be repealed.

“We haven’t been able to explain to our farmers. This is not a time to blame anyone. I want to tell you that we have taken the farm laws back,” said the Prime Minister, urging farmers to return to their homes and fields.

The decision comes ahead of key state elections, over a year after farmers began protesting the laws. PM Modi said his government did its best to educate and inform the farmers about the laws and will continue to keep working for their betterment. Prime Minister said the laws would be repealed in the upcoming winter session of Parliament and a panel formed to make the MSP regime more effective. “Apologizing to the people with a sincere and pure heart, I want to say that something must have been lacking in our dedication that we could not explain to farmers what was as clear as the light of a diya,” said the PM, describing the three laws as “enactments made with full integrity, clear conscience and with the best interest of farmers at heart.”

Acknowledging chinks in government’s outreach to farm unions (11 rounds of talks starting December 3, 2020, failed to break the deadlock), the PM said, “Today is Gurpurb. This is not the time to blame anyone. I have come before the country to say that we have decided to withdraw all three agricultural laws. In the Parliament session starting later this month, we will complete the constitutional process to repeal these three agricultural laws.” The rollback announcement comes ahead of elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, early next year and a week ahead of the first anniversary of farmers’ protests on November 26. Before announcing the climbdown, the PM justified the three legislations as “sacred things, absolutely pure, a matter of farmers’ interest. “…we left no stone unturned in our attempt to understand the farmers’ concerns,” he said.

The PM also appealed to agitators to return home from Delhi borders and urged them to go in for a “new beginning and a fresh start”.

The Prime Minister’s 18-minute address to the nation was high on symbolism as he invoked both Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh to underline NDA’s commitment to farmers. He spoke of his government’s “highest priority to agriculture, breaking past procurement records, effecting a five-fold budget increase and ensuring over Rs 1.25 lakh crore annual spending on the sector.” The PM, however, lamented that the government had failed to convince all farmers about the benefits of the laws “despite its best efforts” and said the sole objective was to ensure a fair price for farm produce and maximum selling options.

The announcement, seen as the government’s massive outreach to farmers ahead of elections, also carried PM’s assurance on legal guarantee for MSP — a demand farm union leaders repeated today.

The Prime Minister said a committee with representatives of the Centre and state governments, agricultural economists and farmers would soon be formed to suggest ways of making the MSP more effective and transparent. Also, to suggest cropping pattern changes to achieve the goal of zero-budget farming.

The PM signed off his speech with Guru Gobind Singh’s revered hymn, “Deh Shiva bar mohe ihai, shubh karman te kabhu na tarun” (Grant me this boon O’ God, may I never refrain from righteous act), assuring farmers, a major political constituency, of NDA’s “continuous support”.

Meanwhile, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha announced that the agitation will continue till farm laws are formally repealed.The SKM on Saturday, November 20, decided to go ahead with the pre-decided programs of the farmers’ agitation till November 29. It includes the Lucknow Mahapanchayat on November 22, observing the anniversary of the agitation on November 26 and the tractor march to the Parliament on the first day of the Winter Session.