PM Modi to Repeal Farm Laws. Farmers to Continue Protest
It is largely believed that PM Modi has announced the withdrawal of farm laws because of upcoming elections in various states of India.
By Rakesh Raman
The prime minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi announced today (November 19) that his government will repeal the contentious farm laws which were introduced in 2020, although the laws have not yet been implemented.
Farmers – mainly from Punjab, Haryana, and UP states – have been protesting since November 2020 against the three farm laws announced by the Modi government. Their demands also include the legal guarantee by the government to give a minimum support price (MSP) for certain crops.
Farmers feared that the new laws will deprive them of their farming rights and they will lose their lands which will be grabbed by Modi’s capitalist friends. They expected the government to withdraw these laws and ensure MSP for their crops.
Now, PM Modi has accepted farmers’ demand of repealing the laws but the other main demand of MSP has still not been addressed. The protesting farmers, therefore, have decided to continue their year-long protest on the outskirts of New Delhi.
The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) farm leaders – who are spearheading the farm protests – have said that they will continue their protest until the farm laws are formally repealed in the Parliament of India and a legal MSP guarantee is provided.
It is largely believed that PM Modi has announced the withdrawal of farm laws because of upcoming elections in various states of India. Since farmers constitute a very big voting bloc, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would have faced fierce opposition from protesting farmers in elections if he had not accepted farmers’ demands.
Meanwhile, the SKM leaders of farmers are holding meetings to chalk out their future plan of action as the farming sector in India continues to face severe economic hardships because of the flawed government policies.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
