‘A victory against injustice,’ said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he lauded the relentless efforts by the farmers of the country
File image of farmers participate in a hunger strike during their protest against the Centre’s farm reform laws, in Hisar district, Haryana.
In a huge victory to protesting farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the government has decided to repeal the three farm laws, which were at the center of protests by farmers for the past year.
Addressing the nation on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, the prime minister said the three laws were for the benefit of farmers but “we couldn’t convince a section of farmers despite best efforts”.
The decision comes as farmer protests are on the verge of completing a year.
Reacting to the news, farm leader Rakesh Tikat who emerged as the face of the demonstration, tweeted that the farmers would not withdraw their agitation immediately and would continue till the laws are repealed in the Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU) Ugrahan faction welcomed the prime minister’s announcement to repeal the three contentious farm laws.
“It is a good move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Gurupurab,” Joginder Singh Ugrahan, the leader of BKU’s Ugrahan faction, told PTI.
On the prime minister’s appeal to protesting farmers to return to their homes, Ugrahan said, “Farmers’ unions will sit together and decide the future course of action.”
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his announcement.
Meanwhile, Opposition leaders also tweeted in their reactions to the historic decision. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweets a 6-month old video where he told the media that the “Centre will be forced to take the farm laws back” and congratulated the protesting farmers.
‘A victory against injustice,’ said Rahul Gandhi as he lauded the relentless efforts by the farmers of the country.
Welcoming the Centre’s decision of repealing the three contentious farm laws, the Congress, via a tweet in Hindi, celebrated the win of the farmers.
Congress leader P Chidambaram took a dig at the timing of the announcement, tweeted, “What cannot be achieved by democratic protests can be achieved by the fear of impending elections!”
Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu said that the withdrawal of the farm laws is “in the right direction” and called it a “historic success” of the farmers’ protests.
Former MP Jayant Chaudhary in a tweet in Hindu celebrated the news, saying “the victory of the farmer belongs to all of us, the victory of the country!”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated farmers for their relentless fight against three farm laws and said they were not fazed by the “cruelty” of the BJP.
The Trinamool Congress tweeted “Jai Kisan” as a curt response to the Centre’s move to withdraw the three farm laws
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “The coming generations will remember how the farmers of this country put their lives on the line to save agriculture and farmers.”
AAP leader Sanjay Singh called the decision of the Centre to repeal the farm laws a win of farmers’ will over the Centre’s wrongdoings.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti working president KTR invoked Wael Ghonim’s quote “The power of people is always greater than the people in power” to congratulate the farmers.
BJP’s national general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh also chimed in and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decision.