Pune: Had the three contentious farm laws of 2020 been introduced during the tenure of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee , he would have ensured their 100% success through "discussion, discussion, discussion," renowned economist Vijay Kelkar said on Monday. Drawing on his experience as the adviser to the Minister of Finance and Finance Secretary, both in Vajpayee-led govts, at the Centre, Kelkar highlighted how the former PM would have engaged every chief minister to build consensus. Kelkar, along with fellow economist Ajit Ranade , was speaking at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics as part of a series commemorating Vajpayee's birth centenary, focusing on the collaborative nature of his economic reforms .
Kelkar also emphasised on Vajpayee's focus on developing the network sector, such as road transport, telecom, and electricity, "which significantly boosted the country's economic growth". Ranade highlighted that Vajpayee initiated economic reforms at a time when there was no crisis as opposed to his predecessors, and many of the major economic reforms in India had their origins in the Vajpayee govt. Agreeing with Kelkar on Vajpayee's ability to implement the three controversial farm laws, Ranade also said the agriculture sector "remains unreformed to this day", and "this is a big sector with over 50% of people directly or indirectly dependent on it".
Kelkar further said, "Vajpayee had immense trust in his ministers and valued open discussions, which led to si.