How controversial farming reforms also reveal a lot about India’s parliament

The way reforms impacting Indian farmers were ‘bulldozed’ through parliament says a lot about India’s democracy, reports Namita Singh

A general view of the Indian parliament building before the beginning of the first session of Narendra Modi’s second term (AFP/Getty)

It is now almost one year since farmers marched across northern India to the capital and began protesting against laws which, despite their huge implications for the future of agriculture in the world’s largest democracy, passed through parliament with minimal debate or scrutiny.

Despite their importance, the bills raced through the lower house (Lok Sabha) in just two days last September, during which the government refused requests to refer them to parliamentary committee for detailed scrutiny.

Exasperated by the process and declaring the proposals to be “anti-farmer”, a minister from a minor coalition party in the government resigned in protest when the bills were passed.