Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the government has decided to repeal the three farm laws, which were at the centre of protests by farmers for the past year, and appealed to the protesting farmers to return home.
Addressing the nation on the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Modi insisted that the laws were for the benefit of farmers and then apologised to the people of the country while adding that the government could not convince a section of farmers despite its clear heart and clean conscience.
"There may have been some shortcomings in our efforts due to which we could not explain the truth, as clear as the light of the diya, to some of our farmer brothers," he said.
Noting that it was the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, he said it was no occasion to blame anyone. "I have come to tell you that we have decided to repeal the three farm laws. In the upcoming Parliament session starting at the end of this month, we will complete the constitutional process to repeal the three farm laws," Modi said.
"I would request all my protesting farmer friends, today is the auspicious day of Guru Purab, return home, to your fields and family and make a new beginning, let us move forward afresh," he said.
Speaking in Hindi, the PM said, "Saathiyon main deshbaasion se shama maangte hue sacche man se aur pavitra hriday se kehena chata hoon ki shaayad humari tapasya mein hi koi kami rehe gayee hogi jiske kaaran diye ke prakash jaisa satya kuch kisaan ko humne samjha nahin paaya. Aaj Guru Nanak Dev ka prakash parv hai. Yeh samay kisi ko bhi dosh dene ka nahin hai. Aaj main aapko pure desh ko yeh bataane aaya hoon ki humne teen krishi kaanunon wapaas lene ka nirnay liya hai."
The goal of the three farm laws was to empower farmers, especially small farmers, the prime minister said and went on to list various steps taken by his government for the welfare of small farmers and pointed out that the agriculture budget had risen by five times with over Rs 1.25 lakh crore being spent annually.
Modi said that he had seen the challenges faced by farmers very closely in his five decades of public life and, therefore, when the country gave the opportunity to serve as "Pradhan Sevak" in 2014, he gave top priority to agriculture development and farmers welfare.
The Centre, which has held 11 rounds of formal dialogue with the farmers, had maintained that the new laws are pro-farmer, while protesters claim they would be left at the mercy of corporations because of the legislations.
The ruling BJP will hope that the decision to repeal the three laws will cancel out the political headwinds it has encountered in Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, two states which are going to the polls early next year.
The decision will also help former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh in sealing his expected alliance with the BJP for the polls.
Many farmers had been protesting and were encamped at Delhi's borders since November 2020 with a demand that the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee MSP for crops.
On Friday morning the Prime Minister's Office tweeted: “Today is the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Today PM will inaugurate key schemes relating to irrigation in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh. Then, he will go to Jhansi for the 'Rashtra Raksha Samparpan Parv.' Before all of these programmes, he will address the nation at 9 AM."
The last time the Prime Minister addressed the nation it was right after India scripted history by becoming only the second country after China to reach the one billion COVID-19 vaccinations milestone mark in October.
Earlier this week, the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor -- the road to Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan -- was reopened, just days before the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
Movement on the Kartarpur corridor was suspended in March 2020, when Pakistan put restrictions on travel from India after the Covid outbreak.
The Prime Minister, earlier in the day, paid tributes to Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev on his birth anniversary, saying his vision of a just, compassionate and inclusive society inspires people.
Modi also paid tributes to Rani Lakshmibai, the Jhansi queen who had died fighting the British forces, saying she has a special place in the history of India and her bravery will not be forgotten by generations.
Offering homage to the first Sikh guru, he tweeted, "On the special occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, I recall his pious thoughts and noble ideals. His vision of a just, compassionate and inclusive society inspires us. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji's emphasis on serving others is also very motivating."