Opposition parties accused the government of flouting parliamentary procedure by passing the bills hurriedly and not listening to their demand of sending the bills to a parliamentary committee for further deliberations. The row led to the suspension of eight opposition members, who staged a sit-in outside the parliament through Monday night.
But beyond the political fracas, the bills have also split opinions - while Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the reforms a "watershed moment" for Indian agriculture, opposition parties have termed them "anti-farmer" and likened them to a "death warrant". Angry and worried farmer groups see them as unfair and exploitative. Pro-reform economists have partly welcomed the move, but say it's a piecemeal approach that is unlikely to do much.
