In an extraordinary development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a spectacular surrender by promising to repeal the controversial laws. This was Modi appeared on TV for an unscheduled address to the nation. However, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said that protests will continue until the Modi government formally cancels the laws in the parliament.
Modi said, “I have come to tell you that we have decided to repeal the three farm laws. In the upcoming Parliament session starting at the end of this month, we will complete the constitutional process to repeal the three farm laws.”
Modi requested the protesting farmers to end their protests and return to farming. “I would request all my protesting farmer friends, today is the auspicious day of Guru Purab, return home, to your fields and family and make a new beginning, let us move forward afresh.”
Tikait took to Twitter to announce that their protests would continue until the government formally repealed the controversial laws. He also said that the government must hold talks with farmers about MSP and other issues.
“The movement will not end immediately. We shall wait till the day the farm laws are repealed in the parliament. The government must also hold talks with farmers over MSP and other issues.”
Farmers have been protesting for more than a year demanding the repeal of the farm laws that they said were enacted to help businessman friends of Modi. Nearly 600 farmers lost their lives during the year-long protest.
The BJP had to suffer a humiliating defeat in the recent bypolls. Five states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are due to go for crucial assembly polls in February next year. The BJP felt that the anger amongst India’s farmers would lead to its crushing defeat in the next assembly polls if the far laws were not repeated.
