Modi’s Announcement for Repeal of Farm Laws is a Victory for Farmers and the Constitutional Method Law Making

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a stunning announcement on 19th November 2021 that his Government would withdraw last year’s enacted farm laws against which a yearlong agitation of farmers is going on. While doing so he also apologised to the nation by saying “maybe something was lacking in our tapasya (dedication) that we could not explain the truth, as clear as the light of the lamp, diya, to some of our farmer brothers”. It is widely perceived that Modi did so because of the forthcoming elections scheduled to be held in UP, Punjab and several other States next year and BJP and Modi regime apprehended that they would suffer electoral reverses because of the sustained movement against the farm laws. The announcement to repeal farm laws on Guru Purnima is also seen as a strategy to reach out to the farmers in Punjab who constitute the mainstay of the ongoing movement taking place in several parts of the country specifically in and around the boarders of Delhi.

Modi Called Agitating Farmers Andolonjeevis
Prime Minister Modi scoffed at agitating farmers by obliquely describing them in the Rajya Sabha as Andolonojevis, those who earn a living by agitations. Several Ministers of his Government made many disparaging remarks against farmers and their movement. Some called them as Khalistanis engaged in a separatist movement. Some others openly threatened them and the Union Home Minister of State admitted that some protesting farmers killed in Lakimpurkheri because a vehicle badly ran over them belonged to him. His son has been arrested after the Supreme Court expressed displeasure that the UP Government was not handling the issue seriously. It is against this backdrop that the announcement of Prime Minister Modi should be understood. It appears that the electoral calculations of BJP and the apprehensions of its leadership that the party would do badly in elections is the real motive force behind the sudden announcement to repeal the farm laws.

Modi’s apology to the nation by saying “maybe something was lacking in our tapasya (dedication) that we could not explain the truth … to some of our farmer brothers” and, therefore, his decision to repeal the farm laws is hiding the real truth that those farm laws were passed in the Parliament without taking into the opinion of farmers and other stake holders.

The Government of Modi initially used the ordinance route to enforce the farm laws without bothering to consult the farmers or others who are part of the large circle of stakeholders who are affected by such laws.

Law Making Process Not Followed for Passage of Farm Laws
The truth deficit which Modi cited as a reason for not having been able to convince the farmers should be taken with a pinch of salt. The ordinances when converted to Bills and introduced in both the Houses of Parliament also did not factor in the views of farmers who were never consulted by Modi regime. So what those Bills contained was only the Government intent and not the intent of the stake holders of which farmers are the huge component. Therefore, the farmers launched the movement against the farm laws and demanded their repeal. The yearlong non-violent movement exposed the manufactured reasoning that due consultation with farmers had taken place. Even the Bills were not referred to the Committees of Parliament for discussion and examination so that those could be streamlined after incorporating the views of all concerned sections which includes the farmers. Several opposition parties demanded that the Bills should be sent to Committees of Parliament but all their appeals to do so fell in deaf years. Even in the Rajya Sabha the demand of opposition parties for actual voting to decide the fate of Bills was not accepted by the Deputy Chairman and he declared the Bills passed on the basis of voice vote. Such developments clearly exposed the fact that law making process based on deliberation and consultation was not followed while passing the Bills. The crude majority strength of Modi Government was brutally employed in the Lok Sabha to pass it and in the Rajya Sabha even the legitimate demand of some opposition Members for actual voting was willfully not accepted so that those could be passed by voice vote. What it conveys is that the Modi regime while declaring to repeal the farm laws is exposing itself about the unconstitutional manner in which those were rushed through without bothering to stick to duly prescribed procedure for passing Bills.

Even after the Bills were taken up for discussion in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha those were hurriedly passed without following procedure prescribed by the Constitution and rules of procedure governing the proceedings in each House of Parliament.

Civil Society Played a Key Role
Recently the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval made a strange statement declaring war on civil society. In doing so he was advocating violence against civil society which provides space for protest movements. Farmers who are integral to civil society exercised their constitutional right to protest against farm laws. So the repeal of these laws means the defence of civil society which was unfortunately is being sought to be controlled by declaring war against it. The victory for farmers seen in the declaration of Prime Ministers to repeal of farm laws is truly a victory for the civil society wherein the farmers protest is going on after getting support from across the country.

Victory for Composite Culture
Salute to the farmers who sustained an agitation which forced the arrogant Modi regime to submit to their demands for repeal of farm laws. Many farmers attained martyrdom and their supreme sacrifices have resulted in bringing an arrogant Modi Government, driven by majoritarianism, to its senses. It is a victory for Ambedkar’s vision anchored in his slogan “Educate, Agitate and Organise” and the farmers’ movement remained firmly rooted in that vision. So finally civil society represented by farmers who recited Allaha ho Akbar and Har Har Mahadev simultaneously has succeeded in upholding our composite culture which came under serious attack by Hindutva forces. Repeal of three farm laws should pave the way for repeal of poisonous Hindutva forces which polarised society and imposed sedition and draconian laws on innocent citizens and even unfairly described farmers’ movement as movement of Khalistanis. The State agency was used by Modi regime to target climate activist Disha Ravi and arrest her on sedition charges by falsely accusing her for employing a tool kit for hatching international conspiracy to support farmer’s movement and defame INDIA.

Implementation of Swaminathan Report

It is instructive to note that in Odisha Naveen Patnaik took a stand in favour of the farmers and their movement and demanded implementation of M S Swaminathan report known as Report of the National Commission on Farmers. BJP which earlier declared its intention to implement Swaminathan Committee Report backed out and enacted farm laws in complete contravention of constitutionally ordained procedure of law making.

Women Farmers Gave Strength to the Movement
The intensity of public opinion generated by the movement of farmers was such that the whole country was moved by its genuineness. It is worthwhile to note that the farmers’s movement witnessed participation of large numbers of women who gave a huge gender dimension to it. In our country millions of women are engaged in farming and they also head families of farmers. Such massive presence of women farmers in the year long agitation emerged a major feature of the historic non-violent farmers’ movement against farm laws which , as stated earlier, were passed without adhering to the constitutional provision of conducting actual voting in the Rajya Sabha even as some members of the House like Tiruchi Sabha of DMK demanded actual voting from his seat as per rules of procedure governing the business of the House. So the repeal of farm laws constitute a vindication of the Constitution and rules of procedure of the Parliament and non- violent method of protest to defend the constitution and parliamentary process.

Victory for Parliamentary Process and Idea of India

The repeal of farm laws has a huge implications for upholding the methods of parliamentary process of decision making which was flagged by Sarkaria Commission in its report as indispensable for upholding the unity of India. In a way the repeal of farm laws is victory for the idea of India.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of newsroomodisha.com and newsroomodisha.com does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.