Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray says the victory is a display of people’s united strength, while NCP president Sharad Pawar asks farmers to end the agitation ahead of the harsh winter
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait during a farmers’ rally in Palghar district, on Friday. Pic/PTI
Attending a function organised by adivasi activists in Palghar district on Friday, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said that the agitation at the Delhi border would continue despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of repealing the Centre’s farm laws. This comes while political leaders and activists in Maharashtra welcomed the farmers’ victory.
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Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the victory was a display of people’s united strength. Nationalist Congress Party president and former union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said the country would never forget the year-long struggle that was inflicted on the farmers by the Modi government, but urged them to end the agitation ahead of winter. Political leaders and activists also remembered the farmers who died in the agitations across the country over the past 12 months.
“The laws must be withdrawn legally in the Parliament. The fight is not just about the three laws, but about many other issues, one of which is Minimum Support Price (MSP). The government must discuss these with the farmers,” he told reporters. He said the PM should prepare the ground for resolving the other issues before the winter session starts. Tikait added that the repeal was a political move made in view of the state elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. “They must have realised the ground reality and what’s in store for them,” he said.
I salute the farmers: CM
Thackeray said, “Agitations were held and they continue. Many innocent farmers have died unnecessarily. The same farmer has shown his strength. I salute them and pay tribute to those who laid their lives.” He added that the MVA had always expressed its opposition to the laws. “I welcome the repealing, and expect that in future the Opposition parties and organisations concerned are taken into confidence before legislating such laws. It will save the government embarrassment.”
‘Matter stretched too much’
Blaming the Modi government for the farmers’ deaths in the agitation, Pawar said the matter was stretched too much in an attempt to deal with the opposition to the farm laws. “The farmers sat peacefully for over 12 months, and I must say that being peaceful for so long isn’t easy. I bow down to the farmers for their resilience and resolve. There is no need to intensify the agitation now, but still we will never forget that the government forced them to continue it.” He added, “BJP workers must have seen the (adverse) reactions in villages and towns. The decision seems a result of this.”
BJP fears defeat: Patole
State Congress president Nana Patole said the Modi government was forced to bow down before the united fight put up by the farmers. “The government fears defeat in the forthcoming assembly elections, hence the laws have been repealed,” said Patole, adding that the BJP would have to pay for the hundreds of lives lost. Former CM Prithviraj Chavan demanded ordinances to repeal the laws immediately. “The farm laws were brought by the ordinances in the midst of the pandemic, so they can be repealed by the ordinances with immediate effect. Why wait for the Parliament session to start?” he tweeted.
‘Battle not yet over’
Rashtriya Kisan Samiti and Loksangharsh Morcha national president Pratibha Shinde said the final victory hadn’t yet come, though Modi, in a way, accepted his failure of legislating the ‘black’ laws. “The battle is not yet over. The Modi government makes big announcements but conveniently forgets about them,” she added. “There have been efforts to bulldoze the agitation. Hundreds have died. Loksangharsh worker Sitabai Tadvi sacrificed her life at the Delhi border agitation. Farmers were killed in Lakhimpur. But the truth has won finally,” she said.
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