NEW DELHI (Bywire News)- Despite mass national protest opposing the new agriculture laws rolled out in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party announced on Tuesday that there was no possible option of the government repealing the newly imposed farming laws, which farmers fear will lower their incomes.
Protestors have camped out on the border of New Delhi and surrounding areas by the thousands, many of them blocking national highways. The protests as a response to the biggest farming reforms India has seen in decades managed to accumulate a total of 2.5 million people and have so far run for a total of 3 weeks.
According to the new government, the new laws would boost farmers' income by enabling them to deal with private investments. The reforms place farmers in direct contact with private companies that buy in bulk, like WalMart Inc, Reliance Industries Ltd and Adani Enterprises Ltd. This would remove the government-regulated wholesale markets and commission agents out of the equation.
"There's no question of repealing from the government's side. We have ample support from many farmers' organisations," Gopal Krishna Agarwal, a spokesman for the Bharatiya Janata Party, said. Expressing for the first time the government's refusal to go back on its decision.
"Without private investments, agriculture income won't be able to grow," he added.
However, that same day, Narendra Singh Tomar, the Agriculture Minister said to the farmers on protest that further talks on the matter will be held.
"We assure our farmers that we'll listen to them with an open mind," Tomar told foreign journalists and correspondents.
Indian farmers have previously expressed they will only be satisfied with the total abolishment of the new reforms, however, the government has continued to defend their decision and instead offered to alter the laws. In order to guarantee a minimum price for grains to the growers, the Indian government has suggested compiling a written bond.
People from all across their world have shown their solidarity with the farmer's movement, in particular on social media.
Indians from overseas have shown their support by organising partner protests in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.
Rakesh Tikait, spokesman for Bhartiya Kisan Union, one of the protesting unions of farmer said, "Farmers have decided they won't go back till the government takes back all three farm laws,"
"It will take more than a month to resolve all issues."
(Written by Klaudia Fior)