'Repealing farm laws a political mistake': SC-appointed panel member backs farm laws

Anil Ghanwat, a Member of the panel, said that if the top court had published Committee’s report on receipt, the protesting farmers could have been educated about the benefits of farm laws and prevented the repeal of these laws.

Months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of three contentious farm laws, Supreme Court-appointed panel has said that the majority of the farmers’ organisations wanted the 3 farm laws to continue and it was a political mistake to repeal them, as Bhartiya Janata Party failed to form a government in Punjab in the recently concluded assembly elections.

Anil Ghanwat, a Member of the panel, said that if the top court had published Committee’s report on receipt, the protesting farmers could have been educated about the benefits of farm laws and prevented the repeal of these laws.

Out of the total 73 farmer organisations, Ghanwat claims that 61 supported the new farm laws, and repealing the farm laws was unfair to the ones who supported the legislation. Speaking on the protesting farmers, he said that most of the agitating farmers came from Punjab and North India and were misled by socialist and communist leaders, who spread lies that MSP was under threat.

Emphasising the educational value of the report, the panel member termed the law repeal ‘a great political mistake’. He said that the poor performance of the BJP in Punjab elections shows that the repeal did not make any political difference and added that if 750 farmers lost their lives, it was due to political decisions.