The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) - joint platform of protesting farmers - on Monday called the repeal of the farm laws a “historic victory” but questioned the passage of the Bill without debate, saying it could have brought into focus their pending demands, including legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP).

While the SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions, will discuss the future course of action on December 4, a section of farmer groups of Punjab said they are in favour of ending the agitation at the Delhi border sites. The group of 32 unions from Punjab held a meeting at the Singhu border on Monday.

The Morcha also questioned the government's claims made in the 'statement of objects and reasons' accompanying the repeal Bill where agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar sought to justify the Centre's move to enact the laws in 2020 and enlisted reasons behind the repeal in current circumstances.

Tomar, however, said passing of the Bill on the same day in both houses of Parliament reflected the consistency in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise and action. "The opposition parties had been demanding repeal of these laws. Since the government too agreed for it, I think there was now a consensus," he said, noting that the discussion could have taken place only if the House could be in order. "Response would have certainly been there from the government if there was a discussion," said the minister.
Underlining its inability to explain farmers the merits of farm laws through several meetings and other forums, and also existing stay on implementation of those laws by the Supreme Court, the government in the statement while proposing the laws to be repealed said, "As we celebrate the 75th Year of Independence - 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' - the need of the hour is to take everyone together on the path of inclusive growth and development" even though "only a group of farmers" were protesting against these laws.

Reacting to the government's claim that the farm laws were enacted after "extensive consultations with various stakeholders", the SKM said a very large section of farmers, who have been protesting, had never been consulted. "In a democracy, opportunistic consultations with industry-sponsored farm unions is not the way forward, and there have to be serious deliberative democratic processes adopted," it said in a statement, jointly issued by nine farmer leaders who form a core decision-making team of the Morcha.

The government in the statement accompanying the Bill claimed that the farm laws were enacted to provide freedom to the farmers to sell their produce to any buyer at any place of their choice to realise remunerative prices, and also to provide a legal framework for farming contracts to protect the interest of the farmers, and assuring the price for their produce in advance.

Farmer unions, however, said the government's statement cannot be farther from the truth. "In most state APMC Acts, farmers already have the freedom to sell their produce to any buyer at any place of their choice and such a freedom was not given for the first time by the Modi government as is being claimed. Further, any so-called freedom without protection from exploitation is meaningless. The eco-system that was sought to be created in deregulated spaces is meant for corporates and traders and not for farmers," said the SKM.

(With inputs from agencies)