With Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the government’s decision to withdraw the three controversial farm laws, all Punjab political parties on Friday termed it as a victory of farmers.

Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi said the Centre’s decision to repeal all three black farm laws was much delayed but a welcome step.

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Blaming the Centre for thrusting these black farm laws arbitrarily on the farmers without taking them into confidence, Channi said, “The BJP-led Central government should admit on record to have made a Himalayan blunder in bringing these bills for which it hardly bothered to even relent for the past one and half years.”

Channi asked the Prime Minister to immediately announce a financial package to relieve farmers and labourers reeling under the huge burden of debt. He also asked the Centre to make its stand crystal clear on Minimum Support Price and public procurement of farmers’ crops.

Describing it as a victory of people, Channi said that though the Union government left no stone unturned to harass, humiliate and demotivate the farmers but following the footsteps of the great Gurus who have taught to us to fight against injustice, oppression and tyranny, the farmers continued their struggle relentlessly. CM Channi said that this decision is the outcome of the long and zealous struggle of the farmers and will be scripted in golden words in annals of history.

Five-time former Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on withdrawal of three Black laws on farming as “a defining moment in history,”.

“This is the greatest event in the history of farmer struggles all over the world,” Badal said, adding farmers were not consulted before enacting these laws.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president Bhagwant Mann termed the PM’s announcement as a victory for the farmers and congratulated the farmers of the country on this great victory.

Mann said the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who called the farmers of the country, separatists, Naxalite, traitors; should apologise to the farmers and the Union government should also compensate the families of the martyred farmers.

He said the credit for repealing the black laws goes only to the farmers who fought for a long time and got martyred. No political party is entitled to take credit for repealing the laws.