India's parliament passes bill to repeal controversial farm laws

FILE PHOTO: Farmers gather to mark the first anniversary of their protests on the outskirts of Delhi at Pakora Chowk near Tikri border, India, November 26, 2021. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's parliament on Monday passed a bill to repeal three laws aiming at deregulating agricultural markets, bowing to pressure from farmers who have protested for over a year to demand that the laws be rolled back.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration introduced the farm bills last year through an executive order, traditionally reserved for emergency legislation, triggering India's longest-running farmers' protest. Parliament then passed the legislation via a voice vote, drawing widespread criticism that it had rushed through the laws without proper debate.