With over 700 farmers dead, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced to repeal the three farm laws on the foggy Friday morning of November 19 against which farmers around the country were sat in protest for more than a year on several borders of Delhi including Ghaziabad, Singhu, Tikri.
Reportedly, These farmers who are protesting for more than a year and six months have demanded the repealing of three controversial farm laws in the Indian parliament.
The three laws led to concerns of the abolishment of minimum support price (MSP) guaranteed by the government on select crops and leave farmers at the mercy of big corporates.
This protest wake pushed the SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal – second-oldest political party in India) to quit the NDA (National Democratic Alliance – Big tent political alliance of right-wing BJP Bharatiya Janata Party) government ruling at the Union.
SAD also controls Sikh religious bodies like Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee [SGPC] and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee [DSGMC]
Indian farmers protests generated huge public sentiment, also evoked responses from teen environmentalist, Greta Thunberg, singer-activist Rihanna and lawyer-author Meena Harris, niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to The Wire, throughout the protests, these farmers were labelled as “Khalistanis” and “terrorists” and now, the decision to repeal the laws at the centre of the protests come just ahead of the UP assembly elections.
On June 5 last year, the central government announced three ordinances, then three farm bills were brought to Parliament on 14 September.
Two days later bills were passed in Lok Sabha (lower house of the parliament) and by the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) in a voice vote after 2 days.
A day later farmers across India came out in protest after a call given by (AIKSCC) All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee.
In September, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) quits the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance over the farm bills, a day later, bills were given presidential assent and notified in the Gazette of India to become farm laws.
On 11 December, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) moved to Supreme Court against the agri laws.
A month later SC (Supreme Court of India) agreed to hear petitions challenging the new laws and those against the protests.
The Supreme Court rapped the Centre for its handling of the farmers’ protest; it had an stay on the implementation of farm laws and set up a four-member committee to make recommendations on the legislations.
After leaving home for a year and six months in protests, farmers said they had lost alot and want the repealing of farm laws in the parliament.
