Fri 19 November 2021:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he has decided to repeal three controversial farm laws against which farmers have protested for more than a year, in a stunning announcement just months before elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
“Today I have come to tell you, the whole country, that we have decided to withdraw all three agricultural laws,” Modi said in an address to the nation on Friday morning.
“In the Parliament session starting later this month, we will complete the constitutional process to repeal these three agricultural laws.”
The move comes on the festival of Guru Purab, when Sikhism founder Guru Nanak’s birthday is celebrated, mainly in Punjab.
Before the big climb-down, the Prime Minister defended the laws saying they were meant as reforms, mainly for small and marginal farmers in the country.
“Whatever I did was for farmers. What I am doing is for the country.”
The legislation the farmers object to, introduced in September last year, deregulates the sector, allowing farmers to sell produce to buyers beyond government-regulated wholesale markets, where growers are assured of a minimum price (MSP).
Small farmers say the changes make them vulnerable to competition from big business, and that they could eventually lose price support for staples such as wheat and rice.
The government says reform of the sector, which accounts for about 15 percent of the $2.7 trillion economy, means new opportunities and better prices for farmers.
The laws were to empower small farmers, but the government failed to convince some farmers who have been opposing the new laws, Modi said.
What cannot be achieved by democratic protests can be achieved by the fear of impending elections!
PM’s announcement on the withdrawal of the three farm laws is not inspired by a change of policy or a change of heart. It is impelled by fear of elections!
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) November 19, 2021
Soon after his speech, #Masterstroke started trending on social media.
The opposition has to recalibrate its next moves but for now, its leaders call it the farmers’ victory over the government’s arrogance.
“Farmers’ satyagraha has defeated arrogance. Congratulations for this victory over injustice,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
देश के अन्नदाता ने सत्याग्रह से अहंकार का सर झुका दिया।
अन्याय के खिलाफ़ ये जीत मुबारक हो!जय हिंद, जय हिंद का किसान!#FarmersProtest https://t.co/enrWm6f3Sq
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 19, 2021
The sensational rollback is politically expedient for the BJP as it seeks re-election in Uttar Pradesh, a big decider ahead of 2024.
The BJP feared that it would lose voters in western Uttar Pradesh, one of the epicentres of the farmer protests, a region that has a fourth of the assembly seats set to vote.
The frequency of visits to UP by the Prime Minister and other leaders like Amit Shah reflect the party’s laser focus on retaining UP.
Right after his address, PM Modi was to head to Uttar Pradesh again to launch a series of schemes.
The PM’s move may tip the balance in Punjab, where the BJP has been reduced to a minor player after long-time ally Akali Dal broke ties over the farm laws. The state’s ruling Congress faces a challenge from its own former leader, Amarinder Singh. Amarinder Singh, forced to quit as Chief Minister in September, held talks with the BJP soon after. Cancelling the farm laws was reportedly a condition that Mr Singh had for a tie-up with the BJP.
Farmers say protests to continue
Welcoming Modi’s announcement, farmer leader Darshan Pal said it was an “achievement of the farmers’ movement”.
“This is due to the unity of farmers, their continuous struggle and I congratulate the farming community for their unity, their struggle that they have finally won,” Pal told Al Jazeera.
“Ultimately, after one year of struggle, in spite of 700 martyrdoms, facing repression from the BJP government, the farmers have won,” he said, referring to Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party.
And its a WIN, after long 1 year!!
Modi Govt decides to REPEAL ALL 3 FARM LAWS- says PM Modi
Unity & Justice Is On Its Way to Success#VictoryForFarmers #FarmersProtest #KisanMajdoorEktaZindabaad— Kisan Ekta Morcha (@Kisanektamorcha) November 19, 2021
Rakesh Tikait of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Indian Farmers Union) said the farmers’ “agitation will not be withdrawn immediately”.
BKU (@IndianFarmers_) Spokesperson #RakeshTikait tweets, “The agitation will not be taken back. We will wait for the day when the farm laws will be scrapped in the Parliament. The Centre should talk on other issues of farmers too, besides MSP.” #FarmersProtest #India pic.twitter.com/QwTZvoc56q
— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) November 19, 2021
“We will wait for the day when agricultural laws will be repealed in Parliament. Along with MSP, the government should also discuss other issues of farmers,” he tweeted.
आंदोलन तत्काल वापस नहीं होगा, हम उस दिन का इंतजार करेंगे जब कृषि कानूनों को संसद में रद्द किया जाएगा ।
सरकार MSP के साथ-साथ किसानों के दूसरे मुद्दों पर भी बातचीत करें : @RakeshTikaitBKU#FarmersProtest
— Rakesh Tikait (@RakeshTikaitBKU) November 19, 2021
_____________________________________________________________________________
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
