Victory of farmers' struggle and truth, says Sonia Gandhi on repeal of farm laws

In a statement issued after the announcement of the repeal of farm laws by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she also hoped that the government will shed its pride and arrogance and works towards the welfare of farmers.

''I hope the Prime Minister and the BJP government will leave their stubbornness and arrogance and will focus on implementing policies of farmers welfare, will ensure MSP for them and will evolve a consensus with state governments, farmer organizations and opposition parties before taking any such step in future,'' she said.

The Congress chief said, ''after almost 12 months of Gandhian agitation, today is the victory of the struggle and will of 62 crore farmers and farm labourers and the sacrifice of more than 700 farmers who laid their lives for this struggle and their families have paid. Today is the victory of truth, justice and non-violence.'' Asserting that farmers and the farm labourers need justice and rights and not torture or appeals, she said it was not only the duty but also our constitutional responsibility.

In a democracy, any decision should be taken only after holding discussion with all and with consensus with those affected and after consultation with the opposition, she said and added ''hope the Modi government has at least drawn some lessons for the future.'' Sonia Gandhi also said the conspiracy against farmers and labourers by those sitting in power and the arrogance of dictatorial rulers also stand defeated. ''Today, the conspiracy to attack livelihood and farming also stands defeated and the three anti-farming laws have lost and the 'Annadata' has won,'' she noted.

Gandhi alleged that for the last seven years, the BJP government has been attacking the agriculture sector in different ways --be it discontinuation of bonus given to farmers or the conspiracy to provide fair compensation to farmers for their land through an ordinance. ''Whether it is a refusal to pay the farmers their cost plus 50 per cent profit as promised by the Prime Minister or the huge increase in the cost of diesel and agricultural products, or the attack on them through three black anti-farm laws, they all stand defeated,'' she said.

Citing figures of the government's NSO, she said the average income of a farmer is Rs 27 per day while the average debt on each is Rs 74,000.

The government needs to think again on how farming can be made profitable in the true sense and how farmers get the right price for their crop by way of MSP, she added.