11th Jan 2021 10:01:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

While each day of the last 40 days or more of the ongoing agitations against the three farm laws had been eventful in varied extents, the first working day of the week had been of a more intense kind. For the ruling dispensation which so far has done almost everything to prove that the laws are good for the nation’s farmers, it has been a bad day indeed as the Supreme Court which is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the laws as well as those related to the ongoing agitation at the borders of the national capital, in strong words said it was disappointed by the government's handling of the crisis. There was a barrage of scathing remarks by the three-judge Bench during the hearing, but a few will suffice to show how dissatisfied the apex court is in observing the issue taking shape of a national chaos- “Some people have committed suicide, old people and women are a part of the agitation. What is happening?”, “Not a single plea has been filed that said that the farm laws are good.” All attention now falls on Tuesday since the court will be giving its verdict on whether to stay the farm laws or not. Irrespective of the pronouncement, Monday’s reprimand is a major loss of face for the government.

 

There are obvious reasons why the SC came down so heavily on the government. A few weeks earlier during preliminary hearings when the agitation was in its early days, it observed that the issue has all the ingredients to go out of control if not taken care of with seriousness. The Centre then told the apex court, as if as a kind of assurance that “healthy discussions” with the farmers’ bodies were underway and a headway was in the offing. What eventually happened needs no restating. All the eight rounds of talks conducted so far have been total failures that have only led to the widening of the gulf of mistrust between the two sides. Meanwhile, the political heat that somehow went subdued over the issue is showing marks of rising. Two Congress RS MPs and a former Akali leader on Monday staged a walkout from a meeting of the Standing Committee on Agriculture after the panel Chairman refused to discuss the laws and their ‘side-effects’. Samajwadi Party, NCP and the Left are sharpening their tones and the Congress has demanded the Prime Minister apologise to the farmers and the three farm laws be repealed at once. It’s getting more critical now as more and more farmers, as per reports, are about to join their counterparts in Delhi.

 

When did the country last witness  the stormy days of this kind that had such extensive ramifications on its socio-political-economic front? Very hard to dig out.      

 


Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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