Political News: Repeal of farm laws victory of people’s struggle, PM should apologise: Left parties

The Left parties on Friday said that the governments decision to repeal the three contentious farm laws was a victory of the people’s struggle and indicated that this was just the beginning of the protests against the alleged anti-people policies of this government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation on Friday morning, announced that he was repealing the three farm laws.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury demanded an apology from Modi over the deaths of farmers during the protest.

“Modi expresses no remorse over the deaths of our ‘annadatas’ due to his year long obduracy.Modi continues to justify these black laws even now! Refuses to learn from this historic, spirited, inspiring and brave struggle,” Yechury said in a tweet.

“The quest for justice for those targeted by the government and its agencies through ‘false’ cases will continue. The PM must apologise for the hardship and trouble caused by his ‘dictatorial’ step of farm laws to benefit his ‘crony’ business partners,” Yechury said in a tweet.

He further saluted the farmers for their “brave struggle” but said that the sacrifices of those who died during the struggle should not be forgotten. He also said that Parliament, while repealing the “black” farm laws must enact legal entitlement to sell at MSP.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam, in a video message, said farmers had won the battle against the government, which he alleged, was “surrendering the farming sector to corporates.”

“This is a moment of victory for the people of India. The farmers fought and won the battle to protect the Indian farming sector from corporate loot. They defeated the government which was trying to surrender the Indian farming to corporate profit mongering…despite the loss of lives and hardships, they fought to protect the food security of India. At last the Modi government was forced to repeal as it had no other option,” he said.

Viswam also alleged that despite the fact that the farmers were branded as “urban naxals” as part of the alleged “nasty politics” being played by the government, they continued to fight.

“The whole country stood like a rock with the farmers. This is a great lesson for the country. This victory will inspire us to take up more such anti-people policies like labour laws, the national monetisation policy,” he said.

The government in September 2020 brought in ordinances for the three laws — Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020; and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 – raising concerns that this will lead to the abolishment of the minimum support price (MSP) guaranteed by the government on select crops, and leave farmers at the mercy of big corporates.

“Farmers have inflicted the biggest blow till date to the ‘arrogant power-drunk’ Modi regime! Celebrate the victory, consolidate the gains, carry the movement forward!,” tweeted Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary, CPIML.

Welcoming Modi’s announcment to repeal three farm laws, Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella organisation of agitating farmers, said it will wait for the announcement to take effect through due parliamentary procedures but also flagged that their other demands are still pending.

“If this happens, it will be a historic victory of the one year-long farmers’ struggle in India. However, nearly 700 farmers have been martyred in this struggle. The central government’s obstinacy is responsible for these avoidable deaths, including the murders at Lakhimpur Kheri,” said the SKM in a joint statement.

It further said that the PM should remember that the agitation of farmers is not just for the repeal of the three black laws, but also for a statutory guarantee of remunerative prices for all agricultural produce and for all farmers.

“This important demand of farmers is still pending. So also is the withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill. The SKM will take note of all developments, hold its meeting soon and announce further decisions,” it added.

The statement was issued jointly by farm leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Dr Darshan Pal, Gurnam Singh Charuni, Hannan Mollah, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Shivkumar Sharma ‘Kakkaji’, Yudhvir Singh.