There is no doubt that the agricultural land leasing laws in India need to be amended to make land leasing legal and easier. The Niti Aayog report (2016) proposes a formal model law on land leasing. Critically examining the logic for liberalisation of land leasing laws, the limitations of the model lease agreement are brought out. It is argued that the model law ignores the diversity and dynamics of leasing arrangements in India and the socio-economic implications of the realities of tenancy practices.