‘Will Continue Agitation Till Farm Laws Officially Repealed’: Rakesh Tikait

Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre's three farm laws will be repealed, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said that the agitation will only be taken back after the laws are officially scrapped in the Parliament.

"The agitation will not be taken back. We will wait for the day when the farm laws will be scrapped in the Parliament. Along with the MSP, the government should also discuss other issues of farmers," said Tikait in a tweet in Hindi.

आंदोलन तत्काल वापस नहीं होगा, हम उस दिन का इंतजार करेंगे जब कृषि कानूनों को संसद में रद्द किया जाएगा ।

सरकार MSP के साथ-साथ किसानों के दूसरे मुद्दों पर भी बातचीत करें : @RakeshTikaitBKU#FarmersProtest

— Rakesh Tikait (@RakeshTikaitBKU) November 19, 2021

On the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, PM Modi announced the repealing of the three controversial farm laws for which the farmers have been protesting for over 14 months.

"We have decided to repeal all three farm laws, will begin the procedure at the Parliament session that begins this month. I urge farmers to return home to their families and let us start afresh," PM Modi said.

The three farm laws are — The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produces outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Any licence-holder trader can buy the produce from the farmers at mutually agreed prices. This trade of farm produces will be free of mandi tax imposed by the state governments.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to do contract farming and market their produces freely.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act.