President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the bill to cancel the three farm laws, against which the farmers have been protesting for a year. The protests were held by the farmers especially from Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh.
On the first day of the winter session on Monday, the bill was passed in record time in both houses of Parliament. In Lok Sabha, it was passed within 4 minutes amidst the demands for discussion by the opposition. In Rajya Sabha, it was passed after a short discussion.
On 19th November, which is just months before elections in the states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had withdrawn the three laws in a remarkable announcement. For a year the three disputed farm laws were at the heart of massive farmer protests across the county.
Before making the announcement, PM Modi, while defending the laws said that “They were meant as reforms, mainly for small and marginal farmers in the country. Whatever I did was for farmers. What I am doing is for the country.”
Since November 2020, demanding the ‘black laws’ to be withdrawn, farmers in thousands of number from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan have been camping on the outskirts of the national capital – Delhi. Including the 2024 national polls, the BJP has faced massive anger in northern states, and now it is something BJP cannot afford as it preps for big elections ahead.
Also, the government has been accused, by the opposition and farmers, of railroading the three laws through the Parliament without much discussion. “The laws would remove middlemen and improve farmers’ earnings by allowing them to sell anywhere in the country”, said the government. But the farmers argued that they will be exposed to unfair competition, and will be left at the mercy of the corporate and will be deprived of the guaranteed price of their produce.
