Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that “reforms are necessary for the development and some ‘past century’ laws have become a burden now.”
He made these comments during the virtual inauguration of a metro rail project in Agra, at a time when farmers are protesting against the three new laws passed by the Indian Parliament, the Hindustan Times reported.
“Reforms are needed for development. Reforms are very much needed for a new order and to give new facilities. We cannot build the next century with the laws of the previous century,” Modi said.
“Some laws that used to be good in the past century have become a burden in the present century. Reforms should be a continuous process,” he added.
Modi also claimed that his government is carrying out “holistic reforms.”
“Earlier, reforms used to happen in a piecemeal manner, or keeping in mind some sectors and departments,” he said.
Modi’s remarks come a day before the “Bharat Bandh (shutdown)”- a nationwide strike called by various farmer organizations demanding repeal of the three laws passed in September.
Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi’s borders to protest against the new farm laws claiming they will pave way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporates.
Major opposition parties, such as the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party (SP), Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Left Front and several state governments have also supported the shutdown. Some of the taxi and cab unions, including those associated with app-based aggregators, have also decided to join the one-day strike.
However, the central government has asked all states and union territories to tighten security, asserting that peace and tranquility must be maintained during ”Bharat Bandh.”
The farmers are protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Talks between the government and protesting farmers remained inconclusive on Saturday even after five rounds of discussions as union leaders stuck to their demand for the repeal of the new farm laws.
