‘Fear of election loss forced move to repeal farm laws’: Congress

The Congress on Friday congratulated the farmers for their fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the fear of election loss forced them to announce the repeal of the farm laws enacted last year

The Congress on Friday congratulated the farmers for their fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the fear of election loss forced them to announce the repeal of the farm laws enacted last year.

Senior Congress leader and party spokesman Randeep Surjewala. (File photo)

Randeep Surjewala, the chief spokesperson for the party, referred to the deaths of 700 farmers during the agitation and the mowing down of protesting farmers in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri and added the government has accepted its crime. “Now, it is time for the farmers and citizens to decide the punishment of the crime,” he said. “The public has an infallible weapon against the government.”

Surejwala said the credit for the government’s announcement goes to farmers for protesting for their rights. “...without the fear of losing the upcoming elections, these farm laws would not have been repealed.”

In a tweet, Congress leader Kapil Sibal welcomed the announcement for rolling back the three farm laws and added “wisdom” dawned because of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Former Union minister P Chidambaram too linked the decision to elections rather than a change of policy or heart.