Farmers' stir ensured repeal of farm laws, Oppn parties alone could not have done so: Manoj Jha

New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) Opposition parties alone could not have forced the Centre to scrap its three agri laws which were finally repealed when farmers "took their fate in their hands" and led a year-long stir, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha on Thursday.

"In a parliamentary democracy the opposition is not only inside the House. If it was just up to the Opposition inside the House, the farm laws wouldn't have been scrapped," the Rajya Sabha member said.

On November 19, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the three contentious agriculture laws. Later in December, then president Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021.

"It was when people took their fate in their own hands that they managed to get the laws scrapped by the man who thought, like the British imperialists, his sun would never set," Jha said, alluding to Modi.

Jha was speaking at the launch of a book, "Kisan Andolan: Ground Zero 2020-21", written by journalist Mandeep Punia.

The book, published by Rajkamal Prakashan, is a reportage of the year-long agitation that saw thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh protest at the borders of the national capital since November 26, 2020 to demand repeal of the three farm laws.

"It was the sense of brute majority that took away the wisdom of the ruling party. They felt it was 'my way or highway', we will do whatever want to do.

"But when farmers started gathering at the Delhi borders, this arrogance of majority and majoritarian politics fell apart," the RJD leader said. PTI MAH SMN