- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
BUOYED by the Narendra Modi government’s decision of withdrawing the three contentious farm laws over which they have been protesting for several months, farmers in India on Monday (22) held a massive rally (mahapanchayat) demanding that minimum support prices (MSP) be extended to all produce and not just wheat and rice.
On Friday (19), Modi announced on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti that his government failed to convince the farmers about the farm laws and decided to repeal them. He also apologised to the countrymen, leaving the protesters and his opposition parties elated.
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Monday’s rally was held in Lucknow, the capital of the poll-bound northern state of Uttar Pradesh where Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to return to power in next year’s election so as to consolidate his base ahead of the general elections of 2024.
Modi repeals farm laws amid farmers’ protest, apologises
Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late 2020 against the farm laws of the Modi government that, despite the latter’s assurance, have been perceived as something that will benefit the private hands. They have camped on the outskirts of national capital New Delhi to continue with their agitation. More than 600 lives have been lost in the protests so far.
Modi’s withdrawal sparked celebrations among the protesters but their leaders warned that the protests would not end till the government promised to bring a law that would guarantee minimum prices for all crops.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait also said hours after Modi’s announcement on Friday that the agitation will continue till the three farm laws are actually repealed in the parliament. Modi said in his announcement that the process to repeal the three laws would start in the upcoming winter session of the parliament later this month.
About the MSP, the Indian government currently buys only rice and wheat from the farmers but the safety net benefits a paltry six per cent of the peasant community.
The main farmers’ body spearheading the agitation wrote a letter to Modi on Sunday (21) saying, “Minimum Support Price, based on the comprehensive cost of production, should be made a legal entitlement of all farmers (and) for all agricultural produce . . .”
The body also asked the government to withdraw a draft electricity bill which they fear would lead governments of the Indian states to end their right to free or subsidised power, which helps irrigation.
The agricultural producers have also asked the government to abolish fines and other penalties that they face for burning their fields after the harvest to staff. Although, the smoke caused by the burning has become a source of dangerous air pollution in Delhi and satellite towns that lie adjacent to the crop-growing northern Indian states and threaten public health.
