Three controversial agricultural laws, which have been the focus of mass protests among farmers for more than a year, are being withdrawn said Prime Minister Narendra Modi today in a stunning announcement just months before elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
The procession takes place at the Guru Purab Festival, which mainly celebrates the birthday of Sikh founder Guru Nanak in Punjab.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “We have decided to repeal the three agricultural laws, we will start the process in the parliamentary session starting this month. I urge the farmers to return to their families and start over.”
“Perhaps there is something missing in our tapasya (devotion) which we cannot explain to some of our fellow farmers as clearly like light. But today is Prakash Parv, this is not the time to blame anyone. Today I want to tell the country, that we has decided to repeal three agricultural laws,” Prime Minister Modi said in his address to the nation.
“At the parliamentary session starting later this month, we will complete the process of repealing the three laws,” he said.
“I want to ask all my farmer friends who are protesting, today is Guru Purab’s lucky day to return home, to your fields and to your family and start a new beginning, let’s move on.”
Before the major crash, the prime minister defended the law, saying it was meant for reform, mostly for the country’s small and marginal farmers.
“What I do is for the farmers. What I do is for the land.”
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been camping outside Delhi since November 2020 and are calling for the “black law” to be repealed. The BJP is facing immense anger in the northern states, which it cannot bear as it prepares for major elections to come, including the 2024 national election.
Rakesh Tikait, a senior farmer leader, said protesters would wait for a meeting from November 29 for the law to be repealed.
The farmer protests continued with several rounds of talks between the government and the farmers, interruptions in parliament, and a Supreme Court hearing on a petition against the law.
“We regret not being able to convince all the farmers. “Only some of them broke the law, but we continue to try to educate and inform them,” Prime Minister Modi said.
Shortly after his speech, #Masterstroke started to gain popularity on social media.
The opposition needs to realign its next steps, but its leaders call it a farmer’s victory over the government’s arrogance.
“Farmers’ satyagraha has defeated arrogance. Congratulations for this victory over injustice,” Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
The opposition and farmers accused the government of passing the three laws without much deliberation in parliament. The government says the law will eliminate middlemen and increase farmers’ profits by allowing them to sell anywhere in the country. Farmers claim that the law exposes them to unfair competition, hands them over to companies and deprives them of guaranteed prices for their produce.
The sensational repeal is politically appropriate for the BJP as it seeks re-election in Uttar Pradesh, which is a major decision before 2024.
The BJP fears losing voters in western Uttar Pradesh, one of the centers of farmers protests, a region where a quarter of the seats are on the ballot.
The frequency of UP visits by the Prime Minister and other leaders such as Amit Shah reflects the party’s clear focus on defending UP.
Immediately after his speech, Prime Minister Modi had to travel to Uttar Pradesh again to begin a series of plans.
The prime minister’s move could upset the balance in Punjab, where the BJP was reduced to a minor role after longtime ally Akali Dal cut ties over agricultural laws. The state’s ruling congress faces a challenge from its former leader Amarinder Singh. Amarinder Singh, who had to step down as Prime Minister in September, held talks with the BJP shortly after. It was reported that repealing the agricultural law was a condition Mr. Singh in connection with the BJP.
