Farmers in India finally agreed to call off further protests against the farm bills on December 9, after parliament had earlier rolled back the contentious bills on November 30. All these came after prime minister Narendra Modi on November 19, did an unexpected U-turn by agreeing to roll back the three controversial farm laws. His government solidified his announcement by passing a bill in parliament to that effect. Modi’s sudden change of heart came after over a year of his government’s stoutly adamant stand against watering down even the guaranteed Minimum Support Price(MSP) and an assured procurement market. The government had proposed and passed the controversial farm bills without bothering to have them discuss or refer them to a parliament committee. The farm bills were tabled and passed without debate in the Lok Sabha on September 17, 2020 and the Rajya Sabha on September 20, 2020. The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, gave his assent on September 27, 2020.Even when the farm laws were to be rolled back, as agreed by the Modi government, both houses of parliament gave their approval in quick succession amid an uproar on the first day of the Winter session without any discussion as demanded by the opposition. The government appear to treat parliament with disdain as it refused to have the bills discussed on both occasions by members when it was passed by brute majority and on November 30, rolled back again without debate and steamrolled by brute majority. The roll back of the farm laws mean that everything that the government sought to achieve in passing them, was wrong and in vain. The obstinacy of the government on farmers bills had left no room for negotiations and as a result thousands of farmers protested across India. The farmers unions claimed that at least 700 farmers died during violent confrontations with police forces. The farmers may have agreed to not hold anymore protests and also to go back home from the Singhu border, where they had been camped for over a year since 2020. The Modi government had erected concrete and iron barriers at Singhu to prevent farmers from marching to Delhi. The farmers will meet on January 15,2022 to review progress on the government’s assurances and decided whether the government fulfilled its assurances. The farmers bills will go down in history as black bills that had led to the deaths of so many farmers. How the Modi government treated farmers was amply shown when union minister of state for home, Ajay Mishra Teni’s motorcade ran over protesting farmers near Tikunia town in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on October 3, killing four of them.Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra was seen driving the vehicle that ploughed through the procession of protesting farmers. Some reports said Ajay Mishra was also in the vehicle. After much hue and cry, the UP police finally filed charges against Ashish and took him to custody(not arrested like an accused). The demands for dropping Ajay Mishra from the union ministry has not been heeded though it was one of the demands of the opposition as well as farmers. However, what is clear is that any genuine future proposal for reform of Indian agriculture has been crushed under the weight of wealthy farmers, traders and middlemen for decades to come by a government which, decided that winning elections is everything.
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