Farm laws were brought for farmers' benefit, withdrawn for national interest: PM Modi

New Delhi, Feb 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that he wants to win the hearts of the farmers and now repealed three farm laws over which farmers agitated on the borders of Delhi for almost a year were brought by the government for the benefit of farmers.

"I have said this earlier also that farm laws were brought in for the benefit of farmers, but have now been withdrawn in the interest of the nation. I don't think this needs to be explained anymore. Future events will make it clear why these steps were necessary," PM Modi in an exclusive interview with ANI.

Prime Minister stated that he always worked for the welfare of farmers. "I am someone who is on a journey to win the hearts of farmers. I understand the pain of farmers with marginal landholdings. I have always tried to win their hearts," he said. "I have won the hearts of farmers from across the country and they have always supported me," he added.

PM Modi stated that dialogue and discussion are the basis of democracy. He continued, "In a democracy, it is the primary duty of public representatives to engage in dialogue with the people of the country. Our government has always engaged in these discussions and we are not in favour of stopping them,"

The Prime Minister stressed on the importance of having talks with stakeholders while drafting policies like the government receive feedback from different sectors before the budget. "Discussions should never stop on any issue. I believe people should hear my opinion and the opinion of my government and talks should always go on. Just like we hold a discussion on the budget before formulating it. We do not believe that all the knowledge in the world is possessed by 'Gyan Babus' and politicians," he added.

The government had enacted the three laws - 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.
It was repealed on December 9, 2021.