Centre Deciding To Repeal Farm Laws Ahead of UP, Punjab Polls Is Kaafi Real

Farmers questioned the timing of the announcement, ahead of the upcoming UP and Punjab Assembly elections.

Farmers themselves have questioned the timing of the announcement, ahead of the upcoming UP and Punjab Assembly elections.

(Graphic: Aroop Mishra)

Almost a year after farmers began their agitation against the Union government's three controversial farm laws, in Delhi and across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation on Friday, 19 November, said that the government will repeal them.

The prime minister also requested the protesting farmers to return to their homes.

While farmers welcomed the decision of the Union government to repeal what they have long termed the "black laws," some also questioned the timing of the announcement, ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Assembly elections.

(Graphic: Aroop Mishra)

As the farmers point out, the decision was made to repeal the laws only now – despite a long-standing demand for the same – at a time when the crucial polls are around the corner and the government is fearing a defeat.

Till this moment, the government had shown no signs of softening in their stance on the controversial laws, with many leaders in the government and in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) repeatedly casting the agitators in a negative light.

This is a thought also put forward by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who lashed out at the government on Friday, saying that as the government fears defeat in the polls, they have suddenly realised that they cannot rule the country by "crushing the interest of the farmers."

Congress leader P Chidambaram also echoed Gandhi Vadra.

"What cannot be achieved by democratic protests can be achieved by the fear of impending elections! Anyway, it is a great victory for the farmers and for the Congress party which was unwavering in its opposition to the farm laws," he stated at a press conference on Friday.

This point is only driven home by Anil Ghanwat, a member of the Supreme Court-appointed panel on the farms laws, who said that the committee had offered solutions to the Union government over the three farm laws but the government didn't use it to solve the agitations.

"The decision to repeal the farm laws is purely political, with an aim to win the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections in the coming months," Ghanwat added.

The conclusion? That for the government to pay heed to the will of the people, there needs to be an upcoming election.

(Kaafi Real is a series of cartoons on The Quint. You can check out all our other Kaafi Real cartoons here.)