Current affairs

Farmers celebrate the great victory: It's an end for three farm laws, but not for protests!

By alagu, 19 November, 2021
Narendra Modi, Farm Bills, Farmers, Protests.

Farmers across the country welcome and celebrate the revocation of the three farm laws as their victory after a big battle for over a year. The victory has come after losing over 700 peasants during the protest against the laws and amid celebrations, the farmers have affirmed that they won't end their protests until the laws are completely repealed in the upcoming session of the Parliament. 

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the three farm laws will be repealed in the upcoming session of Parliament. The contentious farm laws that were staunchly backed by the BJP and its affiliates are now going to be withdrawn by the BJP government headed by Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister assured that the farm laws will be withdrawn as soon as Parliament meets for the budget session. In his address, Narendra Modi had defended the farm laws as an attempt to help small farmers sell their produce wherever they wished to by liberalizing agricultural produce marketing. 

He said, "The decision was taken with a pure heart. Yet, there must have been some shortcoming in our devotion. This isn't a day to blame anyone. I am announcing that all three farm laws will be repealed by the government by the end of the month when Parliament meets, using all constitutional measures for the same." "I appeal to all my farmer brothers to go back home and to farming on this auspicious day", he added. The Prime Minister had also revolved around his work on the welfare of farmers, as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and three other states are going to host crucial assembly polls next year.

Narendra Modi has highlighted that whatever he did, he did for farmers. He said, "Whatever I did, I did for farmers. What I'm doing, is for the country. With your blessings, I never left out anything in my hard work. Today I assure you that I'll now work even harder, so that your dreams, nation's dreams can be realised." As the three farm laws are repealed, what's next on the court? The Prime Minister said that a committee will be formed to look into the formation of an efficient base for the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). 

Narendra Modi said, "We have also decided to implement Zero Budget Natural Farming. To make MSP more efficient & other issues, a committee to be formed which will comprise, Centre, State representatives, farmers, scientists, and economists. Our government will continue to work for farmers." He extended his greetings to all on the occasion of Dev Deepawali and Prakash Parv. He said, "It is pleasing that Kartarpir Corridor has re-opened after a gap of 1.5 years." 

In what has become an unexpected announcement, Prime Minister Modi's announcement of repealing the farm laws has stirred mixed reactions from across the country and most of them had welcomed it. Repealing the farm laws has been a sole demand from the farmers and they had been protesting in Delhi for over a year amid the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. They feared that the farm laws will open the gates for private players into the market and they will destroy their MSP. Farmers from several states including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh had protested against the laws for over a year. 

As the farmers have finally won, they celebrate the victory by distributing sweets and also affirmed that Modi's speech is not enough to take back their agitation and that they will continue their protests until the laws are formally withdrawn in the Parliament session. While addressing the reporters about the revocation, Rakesh Tikait, the Chief of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), has said, "Farmers will continue to agitate until the laws are taken back in Parliament. MSP Guarantee Act has to be formed. This is a victory of farmers - dedicated to more than 750 farmers who died & to tribals, workers, women who became a part of this agitation".

"This decision also seems to be an election gimmick, given the manner in which the graph of Modi government is going down and their image is getting affected. They are working under the pressure of the companies, only to benefit them", Tikait added. He further said, "We will wait for the day when the farm laws will be scrapped in the Parliament. Government should talk on other issues of farmers too, besides MSP."  The unions of the protesting farmers and the Union government had held several rounds of talks, during the year-long protest, with no consensus met. 

The peasants didn't come down from their sole demand of revoking the laws and they had camped in Delhi in temporary shelters. On the other side, the government had exercised a clampdown against the farmers and used excessive forces to block them from entering Delhi. The BJP and its affiliates, including farm groups, had held protests in favour of farm laws to counter the agitation against Modi. The farmers who protested against the farm laws were largely from Punjab, which is going to face assembly polls next year. 

The protests were in an unprecedented fashion that they withstood chilling winter and intense summer and it has been reported that 700 farmers have died during the protest against the farm laws. Despite all these, the Centre didn't show a sign that the laws will be revoked and several politicians had said that if Modi's claim of 'Our government will work for farmers' could have been done earlier, these lives would be saved and the voices of the farmers would be heard.

 

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