End Of Farm Agitation Must Not Mean End Of Reforms
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-12-10 06:17:02
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
An year-long standoff between the Centre and the farm unions, spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) comes to an end today as the farmers will return to the fields and clear the temporary structures they had erected at selected border points around Delhi to assemble and agitate against the new (now repealed) farm laws that, according to them, were pro-industry and anti-farmer. The government has accepted most of their demands and has given assurances in writing. But the SKM has warned that this is a suspension of the agitation respecting the promises made by the government and the body will hold monthly meetings to monitor the progress. If they feel that the government is going back on its word or not doing enough to do what it has agreed to do, they will resume the agitation.
The failed attempt to reform the agriculture sector once again proves that only intent and vision are not enough to bring in far-reaching economic change. The laws could not be faulted for the reason of not being progressive. The only problem was that they were drafted without wide consultations or taking stakeholders in confidence and then were pushed through without proper legislative scrutiny. These were sure ways to make people suspicious about the government's intentions. Hence, it was easy for the unions to make up their minds (egged on by 'well-wishers' and the opposition) that the laws were drafted to benefit the corporate sector or the "industrialist friends of the Prime Minister" like Ambani and Adani. The way these two corporate czars were reviled in Punjab was disgusting. The farmers have to recognize that they have to work together with the industrial sector to add value to agricultural products and usher in a new era of prosperity for farmers. Yes can demand adequate safeguards but they must not prevent reforms in totality.
The government erred in trying to bulldoze the laws despite knowing well that the farm lobby is very strong. Yes there is an urgent need to break the status quo that is benefiting a handful of people and is detrimental to the farmers, but doing so by force is the worst way to do it and, as the government discovered to its chagrin, not always successful. India has successfully implemented many big ticket reforms from 1991 onwards. They were all amicably implemented and helped India grow. But land (the NDA government had to take back its land reform bill too) and agriculture sector reforms have always caused problems. This government has shown that it has the right intent and the vision to bring reforms in these sectors. It only has to go about it the right way by holding wide consultations, bringing stakeholders on board, ensuring proper scrutiny of the bills by referring them to select committees of parliament and then getting them passed after proper debate and discussion in the two houses of Parliament. This failed attempt must not put these reforms on the backburner.
