Modi vows to repeal India farm laws after prolonged protests

NEW DELHI (AP) — In a surprise announcement, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday his government will withdraw the controversial agriculture laws that prompted yearlong protests from tens of thousands of farmers and posed a significant political challenge to his administration.

Modi made the announcement during a televised speech that was broadcast live. He urged the protesters to return home and said the constitutional process to repeal the laws will begin in December when Parliament sits for the winter session.

“Let us make a fresh start," Modi said during the address.

The announcement came ahead of key elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, and on the day of the Guru Purab festival, when Punjab Sikhs, who made up most of the protesters, celebrate their founder Guru Nanak’s birthday.

The laws were passed in September last year and the government had defended them, saying they were necessary reforms to modernize India's agricultural sector and boost production through private investment. But the farmers protested, saying the legislation would devastate their earnings by ending guaranteed pricing and force them to sell their crops to corporations at cheaper prices.

The perceived threats to their income terrified farmers, who mostly work on a small scale: More than two-thirds of them own less than 1 hectare (2 1/2 acres) of land.

Clauses in the legislation also prevented farmers from resolving contract disputes in court, leaving them with no independent means of redress apart from government-appointed bureaucrats.

The protests escalated in November last year as farmers hunkered down on the outskirts of New Delhi, where they have camped out for nearly a year, including through a harsh winter and a coronavirus surge that devastated India earlier...