'Farm Laws In 2020, My Father Passed In 2019...': Rohan Jaitley Fact-Checks Rahul Gandhi’s Arun Jaitley ‘Threat’ Remark

Rohan Jaitley, son of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, on Saturday hit back at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for claiming that his late father had threatened him during the farm laws debate.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Rohan Jaitley wrote, "Rahul Gandhi now claims my late father, Arun Jaitley, threatened him over the farm laws. Let me remind him, my father passed away in 2019. The farm laws were introduced in 2020."

He further defended his father’s legacy, saying, "More importantly, it was not in my father's nature to threaten anyone over an opposing view. He was a staunch democrat and always believed in building consensus. If at all such a situation were to occur, as it often does in politics, he would invite free and open discussions to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to all. That was simply who he was, and that remains his legacy today."

Rohan also urged Rahul Gandhi to be cautious while mentioning those no longer alive. "I would appreciate Rahul Gandhi being mindful while speaking of those not with us. He attempted something similar with Manohar Parrikar ji, politicising his final days, which was in equally poor taste," he said.

The response came after Rahul Gandhi, speaking at the Annual Legal Conclave 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, alleged, "I remember when I was fighting the farm laws, Arun Jaitley ji was sent to me to threaten me. He told me ‘if you carry on opposing the government, fighting the farm laws, we will have to act against you. I looked at him and said, ‘I don’t think you have an idea who you are talking to’."

Farm Bills Of 2020

The Indian Agriculture Acts of 2020, commonly known as the Farm Bills, were three laws passed by Parliament in September 2020 to deregulate government-run wholesale markets and allow farmers to sell directly to buyers. However, farmers opposed the laws, fearing the removal of minimum price guarantees would lower their income, leading to large-scale protests.

Also Read: PM Modi Announces Release of Next Tranche; Farmers Can Now Check Status

The Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the laws in January 2021 and set up a committee to address farmers’ concerns. On 19 November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the laws, which was formalised on 1 December 2021.

The Supreme Court later released its committee report in March 2022.