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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Cabinet ministers to reach out to opposition parties on land bill
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Cabinet ministers to reach out to opposition parties on land bill

Jaitley, Singh, Naidu and Gadkari to hold discussions with parties to dispel perception that bill is anti-farmer

Finance minister Arun Jaitley. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint (Pradeep Gaur/Mint)Premium
Finance minister Arun Jaitley. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint
(Pradeep Gaur/Mint)

New Delhi: Even as finance minister Arun Jaitley took the battle on the land acquisition bill to the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and reports suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen on not diluting the bill, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has asked a team of senior ministers to reach out to peers in rival parties to negotiate a deal that will ensure the passage of the legislation.

The land law was originally enacted by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) but industry complained that it made the process of acquisition cumbersome and expensive. The NDA, after it came to power, amended the bill. It retained the same compensation structure but made the process easier, especially in cases involving projects of strategic importance. It subsequently took the ordinance route to push through the legislation and is now looking to have the law enacted by Parliament.

The NDA asked Jaitley, minister for home affairs Rajnath Singh, parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and minister for road transport Nitin Gadkari to hold discussions with opposition parties and dispel the perception that the ordinance is anti-farmer. “The four leaders have started talking to all political parties. The government will hold discussions with parties and try to assure them that the government is prepared to accept their recommendations and suggestions. The attempt of the government is to assure all political parties that interest of the farmers will not be hurt," said a BJP leader familiar with the development. Other members of the BJP said the NDA is simultaneously reaching out to other parties, including allies, that want changes in the legislation, but are not entirely opposed to it.

“BJP leaders have spoken to us. We agree that the land acquisition bill needs changes; the ordinance of the government must be changed because it is not entirely friendly towards the farmers. We have recommended changes and the government (has) agreed to accept them," said a leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) who asked not to be identified. Some of the BJP’s allies in the NDA, including the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Shiv Sena and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), are not in favour of the law in its present form.

Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal met Modi and Jaitley on Thursday and raised the concerns of his party. Badal also addressed members of Parliament (MPs) of his party to convince them that SAD will not compromise on the interest of farmers. “SAD is of the view that there is an urgent need to change the perception of the land bill because it is being considered anti-farmer. We have also suggested changes in the bill. The Congress party has been successful in creating this perception that the ordinance of the government is anti-farmer. We realise this and want the government to address the concern before taking another step to pass the Land Acquisition bill," said a SAD leader.

The tussle between the government and opposition continued on Thursday inside Parliament with Jaitley describing the law passed by the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government as a defective piece of legislation.

“The Congress-led government had put defence and security as urgent matters, it had forgotten to put such projects in the exempted list. It would have revealed the kind of defence or security projects being put up, where are they being put up and why. Signatures of 70% of the villagers (whose land is being acquired) would be needed as their consent, as also the social impact assessment of installing the project. So, the information will be revealed and it will also reach Pakistan. UPA’s Land law was a defective piece of legislation and threat to India’s security. We corrected it. It had a disastrous impact on security...Our strategic installations had held up," he said.

The new bill aims to relax some of the provisions in the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 passed by the previous Congress-led UPA.

The government is making an effort to talk to all the political parties because it faces a challenge in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA has 57 out of 245 members. The real challenge before the government is to convince the Congress party which has 68 MPs in Rajya Sabha, Samajwadi Party 15, Bahujan Samaj Party 10, Janata Dal (United) 12 and Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, 9 and Dravida Munnetra Kazagham 4 MPs because these parties have joined hands to oppose any move to change the land acquisition bill.

PTI contributed to this story.

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Published: 27 Feb 2015, 12:33 AM IST
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