Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a masterstroke, has today announced the government’s decision to repeal all three farm laws that had stirred countrywide farmer protests.

The PM’s decision comes as a gift to farmers on the occasion of Guru Purab (Guru Nanak’s birthday) and has successfully drawn a positive response from farmers, especially from the state of Punjab and Haryana. It may be noted that Punjab is also due for assembly elections which are to take place in the next three months.

In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi said there might have been some lacking in the government’s efforts that it could not convince the farmers how beneficial are the three farm laws but today is ‘Prakash Parv’ and hence the government, instead of indulging in a blame game, has chosen to send a positive message to all the countrymen through its decision to repeal the three farm laws.

The leader of the country assured the farmers that the decision will see its implementation in the Parliament session that would kick off at the end of this month. All three laws will be repealed with due process, he assured. PM Modi, however, reiterated that these laws were only formulated by the government keeping in mind the plight of the small and marginal farmers.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan had literally surrounded the capital since the introduction of the three farm laws in November 2020, terming them as “black laws”.  The BJP government had drawn severe flak in northern states due to these laws.

The three laws were – The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produces outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Any licence-holder trader can buy the produce from the farmers at mutually agreed prices. This trade of farm produces will be free of mandi tax imposed by the state governments.

Rakesh Tikait, the farmer leader, however, said that the protests would not stop before the laws were repealed in the session starting on November 29.