Centre to Roll Back 3 Farm Laws, PM Modi Urges Protesting Farmers to Go Home

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that his government will repeal the three contentious agricultural laws and requested protesting farmers to go back to their fields and homes.

Addressing the nation on the occasion of Gurpurab, PM Modi said the three laws will be repealed in the winter session of Parliament starting later this month.

"The three laws were in the benefit of farmers but we could not convince a section of them despite our best efforts", the PM said, adding that he was not laying the blame for this on anyone on an auspicious day.

He said the three laws, against which tens of thousands of farmers have been holding strong protests for more than a year, were brought to empower farmers, especially the small farmers.

The decision comes just ahead of state polls in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh where the farm protests were predicted to dent the BJP's electoral fortunes.

"There may have been some shortcoming in our efforts due to which we could not explain the truth, which is as clear as the light of the diya, to some of our farmer brothers," Modi said.

What's ahead

Since the three farms bills have already been passed into law, the government will have to formally bring three new bills to repeal the old ones, and get them passed in both Houses.

The three contentious bills are: The Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill.

In his address, the prime minister also highlighted his government's measures to benefit small farmers.

"I have experienced farmers' difficulties, challenges from very close quarters in my five decades of public life," he said.

SKM, Congress, Amarinder react

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farm unions, welcomed the announcement and said it will hold a meeting and decide further course of action.

"Samyukt Kisan Morcha welcomes this decision and will wait for the announcement to take effect through due parliamentary procedures," the SKM said in a statement.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was among the first to welcome the annoucement."Great news! Thankful to PM @narendramodi ji for acceding to the demands of every punjabi & repealing the 3 black laws on the pious occasion of #GuruNanakJayanti. I am sure the central govt will continue to work in tandem for the development of Kisani!" Singh said in a tweet.

Singh walked out the Congress recently and it is expected that the announcement will help seal an alliance with the BJP for the upcoming Punjab polls.