Chhavi Bhatia

New Delhi—The three controversial farm laws that led to one of the biggest farmers protests in Indian history, will be withdrawn, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in a stunning development today. The decision comes close on the heels of state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab that go to polls early next year. PM Modi made the announcement while greeting people on the occasion of Guru Purab during an address to the nation in the morning.

Apologizing to the nation, the Prime Minister said, “Today, I want to say with a sincere and pure heart that maybe something was lacking in our tapasya (dedication) that we could not explain the truth, as clear as the light of the diya, to some of our farmer brothers. But today is Prakash Parv, not the time to blame anyone. Today, I want to tell the country that we have decided to repeal the three farm laws.”

“In the Parliament session starting the end of this month, we will complete the process of repealing the three laws,” he said.

“I would request all my protesting farmer friends, today is the auspicious day of Guru Purab, return home to your fields and your families and make a new beginning, let us move forward afresh.”

Before back-pedaling on the laws, the PM said that the new laws would have been reformative for small and marginal farmers. “Whatever I did was for farmers. Whatever I am doing is for the country.”

Hundreds of thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been camping on the borders of Delhi for a year now demanding rollback of the “black laws” which, they felt, will leave them at the mercy of corporates. More than 700 people have lost their lives in the agitation even as eleven rounds of talks with the government failed to yield any result. The farmers remained unanimous and steadfast on their demands: repeal and Minimum Support Price(MSP). The PM, however, did not speak about the MSP, one of the key demands of the protesting agriculturists.

The rollback is also an astute and shrewd political move by the BJP as it eyes to retain UP, a big deciding factor for 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The saffron party has been facing massive boycotts in western Uttar Pradesh– nucleus of farmers’ protest in the state. The region also holds one-fourth of the total electorate of UP. The BJP has also lost ground in Punjab after its ally, Shiromani Akali Dal fell out over the issue of farm laws.