Opposition parties welcome decision to repeal farm laws, seek compensation for those killed during stir

CPK general secretary Sitaram Yechury, however, asked PM Modi to apologise for the hardships and trouble caused by his “dictatorial step” to “benefit his crony business partners”. “We must not forget the sacrifice of more than 750 farmers who have lost their lives in this struggle. They are our martyrs. The quest for justice for those targeted by the government and its agencies through false cases will continue,” Yechury said.

He added, “The PM must apologise for the hardship and trouble caused by his dictatorial step of farm laws to benefit his crony business partners. The Parliament, while repealing the black farm laws, must enact legal entitlement to sell at MSP. Modi expresses no remorse over the deaths of our annadatas due to his year-long obduracy. Modi continues to justify these black laws even now! Refuses to learn from this historic, spirited, inspiring and brave struggle.

Both the AAP and TMC referred to the deaths of farmers during the course of the protest, reminding the government that a quicker decision could have saved their lives.

Speaking to reporters, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the farmers on the development, attributing it to their struggle. “I believe if this decision was taken before, lives of many farmers could have been saved,” he added. “This is a golden day in the history of Indian democracy. This is not just a victory of the farmers, but the democracy as a whole. It shows in a democracy only the voice of the people will prevail.”

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh demanded a martyr status for the farmers who have died, along with a compensation of Rs 1 crore per family and government jobs.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed condolences to the families of the protesting farmers who died over the last one year at various protest sites.

My heartfelt congratulations to every single farmer who fought relentlessly and were not fazed by the cruelty with which @BJP4India treated you. This is YOUR VICTORY!

My deepest condolences to everyone who lost their loved ones in this fight.#FarmLaws

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) November 19, 2021

“My heartfelt congratulations to every single farmer who fought relentlessly and were not fazed by the cruelty with which @BJP4India treated you. This is YOUR VICTORY! My deepest condolences to everyone who lost their loved ones in this fight,” Banerjee tweeted.

“This is the real POWER OF DISSENT in a Democracy and I salute each and every farmer for their courage. #MyIndia,” Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said in a tweet.

In Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said the BJP government was compelled to repeal the laws out of fear of losing the upcoming state polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand.

In a series of tweets, he also hit out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose party JDU is in an alliance with the BJP, saying, “We had taken to the streets right after the Bihar assembly poll results. And anti-farmer Nitish-BJP had slapped cases against me and our workers for opposing the laws and supporting the farmers.”

26 नवंबर से किसान आंदोलनरत थे। बिहार चुनाव नतीजों के तुरंत पश्चात हम किसानों के समर्थन में सड़कों पर थे।

इसी दिन किसान विरोधी नीतीश-भाजपा ने इन कृषि कानूनों का विरोध एवं किसानों का समर्थन करने पर मुझ सहित हमारे अनेक नेताओं/कार्यकर्ताओं पर केस दर्ज किया।

किसानों की जीत हुई। https://t.co/BkvDGpvle0

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) November 19, 2021

In Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) president and Rajya Sabha Member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, while extending greetings and best wishes to the people of the state on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Devi, said that “today is a very special day as finally, the agitating farmers have won their long struggle as the Centre has decided to repeal the three agriculture laws”.

Dhindsa, however, also urged the Centre to accede to the other pending demands of the farmers and “complete the constitutional process regarding repealing the three black laws on agriculture in the forthcoming Parliament session”.

He also expressed his condolences to the farmers who were martyred during the farmers” and demanded “the Central and Punjab governments to provide adequate compensation and government jobs to the families of the martyred farmers”.