BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to scrap the three contentious farm laws on Friday even as some politicians and peasant leaders said the Centre was forced to withdraw them because of sustained agitation by farmers, which lasted for almost a year.
"Welcome Hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji's decision to repeal all 3 #FarmLaws, in the best interests of the country and its farmers. Your farms and families have been waiting for long and they will be happy to welcome you back. @bjd_odisha continues to stand with the farmers," Naveen tweeted.
Though the BJD generally supports the Modi government on most bills, it had opposed the farm laws in Parliament. BJD MP Sasmit Patra said the farmers' resilient and unceasing efforts were successful.
Farmer leader Hara Bania, who was among hundreds from Odisha to have participated in the agitation on the Delhi border, said this is a welcome development. "The government was forced to withdraw the anti-farmer laws. However, the government must ensure farmers get comprehensive cost of their produce plus 50% profit by bringing suitable laws on minimum support price," Bania said.
Saroj Mohanty, another farmer leader, said the government woke up to the reality very late. "Had the government taken this decision earlier, many lives could have been saved. But better late than never. It's a victory of the people over a government that tried to bulldoze their voice. This will further strengthen India's democracy," he said. Farmer leader Lingaraj said it is a historical day for the farmer movement and the Indian democracy.
Congress general secretary Odisha in-charge A Chellakumar said the government seems to have realised its blunder after its poor shows in the by-elections in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan. "It first reduced excise duty on fuel and now withdrew the farm laws. This shows the Congress was right in believing that the Modi government would be forced to withdraw the Acts," Chellakumar said.
Some Congress workers shaved their heads at the Congress Bhawan and distributed sweets to mark the "death of the dark laws." Samajwadi Party's Odisha unit president Rabi Behera said the fear of losing elections in five states to be held in the near future forced the government to take such a decision. "The Centre should now pay compensation to the kin of more than 700 farmers who died during the agitation since November 26 last year," Behera said.
Former Union minister Shrikant Jena said those who tried to brand the agitating farmers as divisive forces, urban Naxals and andolonjibis were proved wrong.
