Editorial: Consensus is the way forward

The decision to call off the farmers’ stir brings down the curtains on one of the most turbulent and prolonged agitations in recent history; the protests that had forced the Centre to make a climb down and repeal the controversial farm laws. It is a victory for the democratic process that helped the farming community […]

The decision to call off the farmers’ stir brings down the curtains on one of the most turbulent and prolonged agitations in recent history; the protests that had forced the Centre to make a climb down and repeal the controversial farm laws. It is a victory for the democratic process that helped the farming community to assert its rights in the face of arbitrary actions of the Union government under the guise of reforming the agriculture sector. The year-long protests, marked by resoluteness and sacrifices, must serve as a lesson for governments that the legislations of far-reaching consequences should not be bulldozed in Parliament. In future, any key reforms must be implemented through a process of consultations and consensus among stakeholders. The pros and cons of any reform policy must be debated thoroughly before framing the laws. The consensus route is particularly important when the issue involves farmers who provide food security for a nation of 1.38 billion people. No major changes in the agriculture sector can be contemplated without taking farmers on board. It is a matter of great relief that farmers have decided to withdraw their agitation following the government accepting all their demands, including closing cases against protestors and compensating families of farmers who died during the protests. Parliament has already repealed the controversial laws last month. The legislative guarantee over the Minimum Support Price (MSP) remains a major bone of contention. Besides, there are fears that the planned privatisation of power distribution could lead to hurdles in the working of the system of farm subsidies.

For several months, the Centre sought to ignore the protests from farmers, opposition parties and the opposition-ruled States and resorted to harsh measures to crush the agitation. It was a classic case of how not to implement new laws. There was no attempt to reach out to the stakeholders nor was there any effort to address the concerns. It was widely felt that the farm laws were meant to facilitate ease of doing business for large corporations, eliminating the safeguards for farmers and leaving them vulnerable to exploitative market forces. Despite agriculture being a State subject, the NDA government made no attempt to reach out to the States for a consensus. Though the government had claimed that the three new laws would herald the much-needed reforms by doing away with middlemen and removing restrictions on the sale of agricultural produce, it must be pointed out that 16 States have already given the freedom to farmers to sell their produce anywhere and the eNAM (e-national agricultural mandi) is already in operation. The Centre’s retreat on farm laws appears to be guided by political considerations. The BJP leadership fears the risk of electoral defeat in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab where farm laws had become an emotive issue.

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