“We will wait for the day when the agrarian laws in parliament are repealed.” “While apologizing to the nation, I would like to say with a sincere and pure heart that perhaps something was missing. that we could not explain the truth to some of our peasant brothers. We have decided to repeal the three agricultural laws,” the prime minister said in a speech to the nation. Beyond the barricades erected by police along the borders, hundreds of makeshift tents have been set up on long stretches of highways, erected on trolleys and tractors and common Sikh kitchens, where farmers gather, hold discussions and rallies, wave flags and raise slogans. “We will camp here as long as it takes the government to repeal the laws, six months, a year. ” said Onkar Singh, secretary-general of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, one of the Punjab peasant groups leading the protest. There is no shortage of food or blankets to protect us from the cold. It is a collective movement with support pouring in from everywhere. “In the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, we will travel across the state and campaign against the BJP. The party will have to pay for its anti-peasant laws,” he said. Politicians belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have repeatedly tried to publicly discredit the protest.

They claimed that the protests have “extremist Khalistani elements” (the Khalistan movement is made up of Sikh separatists) and that dissent is supported by Pakistan and China. Sections of the media and the public were also suspicious, calling it a “Punjab peasant protest” and not a national problem. A delegation of the main opposition parties, meanwhile, stepped up its support for the movement and officially called for the repeal of the laws. “The cost of agricultural production has gone up, as has farmers` debt, which is why the MSP is very important for farmers,” said Inderjit Singh, vice president of Haryana of the De Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee of All India, which represents 250 farmers` organizations. “Although the government has said the MSP will remain, there are fears that the new laws will dilute the existing model and that agriculture will be taken over by the private sector, with a takeover of farmland by companies. The repeal of “black laws” to modernize the agricultural sector is a big victory for farmers On Friday, peasant leader Rakesh Tikait said farmers would still not break their protest camps and rallies until the act of repealing the laws was implemented in parliament. He also pointed out that last year, more than 700 farmers were killed during protests against agricultural laws. Indian farmers are listening to the speakers who took place on the 11th. December 2020 at the state border between Delhi and Haryana, India, protest against the new agricultural laws. Yawar Nazir/Getty Images Some states have been unhappy with agricultural laws because they deny them the right to charge fees on foreign trade in agricultural products. Fees range from 1-2% to about 8-9% in various states that claim they already have limited sources of revenue collection and rely heavily on the center to meet their spending needs. This explains why states, especially those governed by opposition parties, have supported farmers` protests against the new agricultural laws.

“Until the government repeals black laws, we will not move from here,” Gurcharan Singh told Al Jazeera. Prime Minister Modi said the laws would be withdrawn from Parliament in the next winter session. Here is an overview of what these laws that have been suspended by the Supreme Court are. “The timing suggests that there is an electoral motive,” he said. “These agricultural laws were repealed after a year of protests during which farmers endured all sorts of hardships (including) cold, heat, pollution and sometimes state repression.” After several rounds of negotiations failed, the government agreed earlier this year to suspend the laws, but peasants who have the support of powerful unions said they would not budge until the laws were completely repealed. […] Modi really cares about Bhai Taru Singh`s ethics, he must revoke India`s black laws, release political prisoners and arrest […] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he would repeal three controversial agricultural laws that had sparked protests for more than a year, in a rare apparent decline ahead of crucial state elections. Protesting farmers said the new laws would make the MSP system irrelevant and that they would not have a secure income from their farming. At present, the government announces fixed PSMs for about two dozen crops, but rice, wheat and some legumes are those purchased by government agencies from the APMC mandis. Opposition MP Palaniappan Chidambaram said in a tweet: “The prime minister`s announcement to withdraw the three agricultural laws is not inspired by a change in policy or a change of mind. It is motivated by the fear of elections! The new laws dismantled this structure and instead allowed farmers to sell their products to anyone at any price.

The government said the reforms were needed to modernize the country`s agricultural industry, but many farmers argued that they would allow big business to lower prices. In the same month, the Supreme Court of India suspended the implementation of agricultural laws and set up a committee to consult with stakeholders and assess the impact of the legislation on them. “The government says the laws serve to improve farmers, but we know that they are hand in hand with businesses and that laws are supposed to benefit them [businesses], not farmers.” Both sides are at an impasse. First, as farmers crowded around the capital`s borders last month, police used tear gas canisters and water cannons to disperse them. Farmers called for a nationwide strike on December 8. After several rounds of negotiations, farmers` union leaders rejected the government`s proposal to change the laws. Farmers said they would settle for nothing less than a repeal and intensify the movement, with thousands more joining the neighbouring states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. A national demonstration is planned for December. 14, as well as a blockade of the railways. These laws are: the Agricultural Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers` Price Insurance Agreement and Agricultural Services (Empowerment and Protection) Act and the Essential Products Act (Amendment). According to food and trade policy analyst Davinder Sharma, the principles on which agricultural laws are based have not improved the incomes of farmers around the world. Samyukt farmers` group Kisan Morcha, in a statement on Friday, welcomed the repeal of what they called “black anti-peasant and pro-business laws,” but said it would also wait for the announcement to come into effect in parliament.