Active Stocks
Tue Mar 19 2024 13:01:07
  1. Tata Consultancy Services share price
  2. 4,020.00 -3.01%
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 149.90 0.20%
  1. Bharti Airtel share price
  2. 1,230.20 0.42%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 259.90 -1.92%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 410.00 -1.77%
Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Rahul Gandhi takes the attack to NDA in Parliament
BackBack

Rahul Gandhi takes the attack to NDA in Parliament

BJP-led govt ignoring farmers' concerns because its priority is to work for benefit of corporate houses, says Congress vice-president

‘Your government is a government of corporates—we know and you know it too. Yours is a government of influential people, of those that are suited and booted’, Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha. Photo: PTIPremium
‘Your government is a government of corporates—we know and you know it too. Yours is a government of influential people, of those that are suited and booted’, Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: In an uncharacteristically aggressive speech in the Lok Sabha, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked the government’s land acquisition bill and accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of favouring businessmen, not farmers.

Belying the numerical truth in the Lok Sabha (the Congress has only 44 seats in the 545-member Lower House), Gandhi, who returned last week after an unexplained absence from public life of about two months (the party line was that he was on a sabbatical) took pains to highlight how farmer-unfriendly the bill was.

An expert pointed out that it wasn’t as if the previous version of the bill, passed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance when it was in power, gave farmers veto power, but facts didn’t matter on Monday, a day after a nationwide protest by the Congress against the bill that indicated the fight was more about perception than fact, and more for the hearts and votes of farmers than anything else.

Gandhi, not usually known for his oratorial capabilities, scored points on rhetoric—he questioned the multiplicity of figures on farmers affected by recent unseasonal rains across India; he couldn’t resist a snide remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reportedly expensive suit; and at one point, when the treasury benches protested to his reference to Modi as “your Prime Minister", retorted smartly with “He is the nation’s PM; are you saying he isn’t yours?"

The tussle in the Lower House began in the morning when the government tabled the land acquisition ordinance, which was re-promulgated on 3 April. The ordinance on Monday was introduced amid uproar from opposition parties including the Congress, Left parties, the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party, whose members stormed the centre of the House, leading to a brief adjournment.

Later in the day, the Lok Sabha continued an unfinished discussion from the last day of the first half of the budget session on an agrarian crisis in the country.

The discussion came in the backdrop of unseasonal rains and hailstorm which damaged winter crops.

Almost all political parties demanded immediate action, greater financial compensation and adequate crop insurance by the NDA government to the affected farmers. Gandhi led the charge of the opposition and said the NDA’s acche din government had failed the country, referring to a poll slogan of the alliance that acche din (good days) were coming.

“One thing is clear—that your government is ignoring farmers’ troubles and it does not listen to labourers. Your government is a government of corporates—we know and you know it too. Yours is a government of influential people, of those who are suited and booted," he said while pointing to the treasury benches.

“I will offer an advice to the Prime Minister. He will gain politically if he changes sides, as farmers are over 67% of the population. You are committing a blunder by harming farmers and labourers and they will harm you in future. If you switch over to their side, it will help you and may harm us," Gandhi, who was absent from the entire first half of the budget session, said in his speech.

According to estimates released by the agriculture ministry, the area under crop damage due to unseasonal rains has been consistently shrinking, although more rains and hailstorms followed the initial spate of rainfall at the end of February and during March.

On 24 March, the ministry estimated the area under damage to be 18 million hectares (ha)—nearly a third of the winter crop (Rabi) sowing area. This was reduced to 11 million ha two days later. The discrepancy in figures was highlighted by Gandhi.

In his response, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh agreed that there were different numbers. “Initially, there was an estimate of 180 lakh hectares, then the states came back with a new figure which was 106 lakh hectares. This figure was changed because Rajasthan gave a new estimate... Now there is a new estimate of 93.81 lakh hectares affected. This came after our teams visited the states," Singh said in response to the discussion, though he did not announce any specific compensation.

According to his ministry’s latest release, on 8 April, the damage is limited to 8.5 million ha—less than half its first estimate.

Experts say that the issue is being politicized, taking the focus away from the bigger issue of agrarian crisis.

“There is a certain ideological element which has crept in this whole debate. For example, it is being projected as if the land acquisition act, 2013, is pro-farmer and the ordinance is anti-farmer. This is not so," N.C. Saxena, former member of the National Advisory Council, said.

“It is being projected as if the 2013 Act gave farmers consent and now it is being taken away in 2015 ordinance, but in the 2013 Act, it was clear that if the government requires land for itself, there is no consent that is required," he said.

“Land and farmers are state subjects. The states have to come up with a plan for compensation. The government of India cannot say how much each farmer should get," he added.

Earlier this month, Modi said that his government would pay 50% more the existing compensation for crop damage. Besides, farmers in areas with at least 33% crop damage will also be eligible for compensation, up from the current criterion of compensation only for farmers in areas where at least half the crop has been damaged.

Resistance from the Congress and other political parties has held up the proposed land acquisition law, which critics say will undermines the interests of farmers while making it easier for businesses to acquire land.

On Monday, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI (M), said it would work with the Congress in opposing the bill.

The party will work with Congress both “inside and outside Parliament" to resist the proposed law, NDTV news channel quoted the CPI (M)’s newly elected general secretary Sitaram Yechury as saying.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 20 Apr 2015, 05:29 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App