An inflexion point

The repeal of farm laws provides pointers to a new political paradigm in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to secure the repeal of the three contentious farm laws that his government had got Parliament to approve by September 2020 has triggered a plethora of comments, interpreting what the rollback decision means for Indian agriculture. In general, the commentary has been that the repeal of the new laws would be a setback for agricultural reforms and the government should rethink the way such important decisions can be implemented without inviting political opposition to them.

Such an interpretation can hardly be faulted, although it has its own limitations, failing as it does to notice how certain