Repeal: Farm laws were in interest of farmers, but PM had larger national interest in mind.

New Delhi, Nov 20: There are contrasting suggestions behind the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the farm laws. There was a suggestion that the farm laws could lead to tensions in Punjab since a majority of those protesting against these laws were from the Sikh community.

Moreover the timing is also key since the decision was made on Guru Nanak Jayanti. The government had also two days back opened up the Kartarpur Sahib corridor to Pakistan for Sikh pilgrims.

This is in fact the second rollback by the NDA government, the first being the land acquisition reforms in 2015. Both these issues are related to the rural farmers.In this respect the decision was a well timed one and puts to rest the opposition's allegations that the government is anti-farmer.

The decision by the Prime Minister suggests that the three laws were in the Interest of the farmers. However the repeal of the same was in larger national interest.

However the point that has to be borne in mind that none in the Opposition can claim victory for the repeal of the laws. The credit of the same clearly goes to the farmers who sat through summers, winters and rains to protest against these laws.

The SKM on the other hand welcomed the repeal, but also added that it would raise other pending demands. SKM hopes that the Government of India, which has experienced a major climbdown in this repeal-related announcement will not allow the announcement to go waste, and will go the full length to fulfil all the legitimate demands of protesting farmers, including statutory legislation to guarantee a remunerative MSP," SKM said in a statement.

Officials tells OneIndia that the farm laws were in the interest of the farmer community. However there was a section which turned it into a communal and caste issue. The PM did keep in mind the larger national interest and hence such a decision was taken, the official cited above said.