Modi’s about-turn on farm law reform
IN INDIA, there has been a huge political development.
Ahead of state elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, where Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could have taken a beating, the Indian prime minister has announced he has withdrawn the three farm laws that provoked a yearlong protest. This is thought to be the first time that Modi has changed his mind on a major policy issue.
Reflecting the view among journalists who support Modi, one wrote that “political compulsions must have played a major role in this decision. This decision is going to pay dividends in these important states going to polls. In this regard, it can be said that the prime minister acted wisely in not only bowing to the people’s wishes but also acted magnanimously by apologising to those who suffered because of this decision.
“Those who show the courage to accept mistakes and make corrections need to be applauded – irrespective of the reason behind their actions. Magnanimity is what is needed in every public authority universally.”
But a dissenting journalist said: “The constitution of India lists agriculture as a state subject. And yet, so far as one can tell, the three farm laws were drafted without any consultation with the states, not even with states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Unilaterally making decisions which affect hundreds of millions of Indians has been a hallmark of the Narendra Modi government since it took office in May 2014.
“Even if the ends were allegedly noble, they do not justify the altogether ignoble means by which they were sought to be reached. The manner in which the laws were drafted showed a complete disregard for the federal principle. The manner in which the peaceful protesters were attacked and stigmatised was a further betrayal of the principles on which this republic was founded.
“The withdrawal of the farm laws was, therefore, a triumph of satyagraha, the force of truth, against arrogance and hubris. It is a rare, partial, and perhaps reversible victory of democracy over authoritarianism, but a victory nonetheless.”
That said, the political reckoning at the moment is that Modi will still be prime minister of India after the 2024 general elections.