No plan to bring back repealed farm laws: Tomar

Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday clarified that the government has no plans to bring back the recently repealed farm laws, and urged farmers to be wary of 'confusion' being created by the Congress on this issue.

Tomar, in a statement, said the three agriculture reforms laws were brought for the welfare of farmers. However due to the farmers' protest at Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to withdraw these laws.

The minister also mentioned that his statements on this issue made during his address (at an agri event at Nagpur, Maharashtra) however, been misinterpreted and said his intention was not that is being shown.

"I had said (at that event) we have take a step back on the farm laws but the government will always move ahead to work towards the welfare of the farmers. Therefore there should not be any misunderstanding on this issue and the government has no intention to bring back the farm laws again," Tomar said.

The minister also hit out at the Congress party for indulging in "a negative work of spreading confusion to cover up its failures" and said farmers should be beware of this.

He also said that the Swaminathan Committee report that came in 2006 was not implemented by the Congress government.

In his address to the nation on November 19, Modi had announced withdrawal of the three controversial farm laws in a bid to end a year-long massive protest by farmers at borders of the national capital.

These laws were passed in Parliament in September 2020 but the Supreme Court had stayed their roll out in March 2021 and finally were repealed on November 29 by passing a bill due to mounting pressure from protesting farmers.

The three laws were: The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.