Shekhar Gupta: Why Modi is in retreat on farm laws

Farm reform could've been high point of Modi's second term. But lack of patience, understanding and contempt for history have turned it into a disaster

Cop-out, mission abandoned, cold feet, tactical retreat, stalemate. You choose the description for the Modi government’s predicament on its farm reform laws. It is a setback if not an outright defeat or surrender. Which is tragic, because these laws are reformist and bold, and would help farmers by and large rather than harm them.

Nevertheless, all substantive reform has to be marketed politically. The days of incremental reform by stealth are over. There isn’t any low-hanging fruit left in the reform orchard. That’s why it is important that we understand what went wrong here. Because, an idea is only as