Farmers Movement Archive

Repeal of farm laws not for political gains: BJP

The Centre’s decision to repeal the three contentious farm laws that were strongly opposed by a section of farmers for over a year is not a mere tactic for political gains but a manifestation of the government’s commitment to move forward with all sections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders said on Saturday. The party also believes that there has been no loss of face for the Centre or a dent in its image as that of a “decisive government” after the rollback of the laws. “The repeal of the farm laws or putting on hold the land acquisition bill is not sidestepping our ideology for popular support or gains in elections. These were decisions based on various factors, including the ramifications that the (ongoing) protests could have on the internal security of the nation. After all, there were attempts by divisive elements to associate with the farmers’ stir,” a Punjab-based BJP leader said, requesting anonymity.Taking a swipe at the Congress for summing the decision as a climbdown by the ruling party, the BJP said the government had at least not succumbed to appeasement of any community.“This is not our Shah Bano moment. This is a decision related to economic and developmental issues and the Prime Minister realised that it would be difficult to pull through reforms if the government has not been able to successfully convince a section of people,” a senior party leader said, also requesting anonymity.The Shah Bano jibe was aimed at the Congress and, more particularly, at the Gandhi family, which has been vocal in its criticism of the farm laws. On Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted that “the country’s farmers have defeated arrogance with their satyagraha. Jai Hind, Jai Hind’s farmers”. In 1986, the Congress government, headed by then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, had overturned the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Shah Bano case on granting alimony to a divorced Muslim woman by passing the Muslim Women (Protection on Divorce) Act. The BJP has often used the case as an illustration to accuse the Congress of alleged minority appeasement. The issue was also the mainstay of the BJP’s argument while making efforts to outlaw the practice of instant triple talaq.Responding to the BJP’s Shah Bano jibe, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “This is nothing but bogus bravado. It is a humiliating backtrack for the Prime Minister because of the tenacity of farmers.”Opposition parties said the rollback is a reminder that legislation cannot be cleared on the basis of a brute majority alone.“The government has lost face as it has realised that on the basis of 303 (Lok Sabha MPs) and by bulldozing Parliament, they cannot get their way. This incident in contemporary history has taught us that if we bulldoze Parliament, the streets, the villages and the bylanes will throw up new Parliaments,” Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha said.The decision to repeal the farm laws came six years after the government agreed to put on hold an ordinance that would make it easier for companies to procure agricultural land, following widespread protests by farmers.

Hindustan Times

21-11-2021

India