Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a U-turn by announcing thathis government will repeal three controversial agricultural reform lawsthat triggered massive protests across the country by farmers.
Thousands of farmers have been camped out on the borders of the capital NewDelhi since November last year.
The rallies became a lightning rod for opposition to Modi’s administrationin a country where two-thirds of the 1.3 billion population rely onagriculture for their livelihood.
In a contrite address to the nation coinciding with a major Sikhfestival—the religion of many farmers—Modi said the laws would be repealedin parliament’s winter session, which begins later this month.
“I appeal to all the farmers who are part of the protest… to now returnto your home, to your loved ones, to your farms, and family. Let’s make afresh start and move forward,” the 71-year-old said.
“Friends, I apologise to the countrymen and want to say with a clean heartand conscience that we must have fallen short in our efforts to explain(the benefits of the farm laws) to a section of the farmers.”
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The reforms passed in September 2020 aimed to deregulate farm producemarkets where state bodies have for decades set guaranteed minimum pricesfor crops.
Modi’s government had said the changes would boost rural incomes and reforma hugely inefficient agricultural sector where vast amounts of products rotbefore they can be sold.
“The intention was that the country’s farmers, especially the smallfarmers—who are almost 80 percent of all farmers, and have the smallestlandholdings—get more strength,” Modi said Friday.
