Centre invites opposition for debate on land bill
Govt has written to opposition leaders and social activists, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and veteran activist Anna Hazare
New Delhi: With the deadline to pass the land acquisition bill closing in, the government has written to opposition leaders and social activists, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and veteran activist Anna Hazare, inviting them to an open debate on the issue.
Amendments, now hotly challenged, to the land acquisition law were made in consultation with state governments, minister for road transport, highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari said in a letter released by the government on Thursday.
The letter is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government’s latest attempt to persuade opposition leaders to vote for the controversial amendments that the opposition claims are anti-farmer because they dilute provisions of the original law. The government is in a hurry to get the bill passed because the land ordinance it promulgated on 29 December last year is set to lapse on 5 April.
If the government fails to pass the bill before that date, it will have to bring in another ordinance. Parliament is scheduled to go on a month’s recess from 20 March.
Gadkari argued that the bill is not against the interests of farmers, saying the government had held discussions with all state governments before passing the land acquisition ordinance and that those who had agreed to the amendments included opposition-ruled states.
The move to write the letter was initiated by Gadkari after holding consultations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders of the party who have given him the task of reaching out to opposition parties and social activists opposed to the bill.
“The government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought some amendments in the land acquisition bill for the benefit of farmers and rural areas. But some political parties are opposed to the amendments for political gains. Our government will always work for the benefit of villages, poor, farmers, and labourers," said Gadkari.
The letter comes just two days after Sonia Gandhi along with the leaders of 14 opposition parties led a march from Parliament to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where they met President Pranab Mukherjee and submitted a memorandum. Having been passed in the Lok Sabha, the land acquisition bill faces possible defeat in the Rajya Sabha, where the 14 parties together have a strength of 132 Members of Parliament (MPs) out of 245, easily outnumbering the BJP-led ruling alliance.
In his letter, Gadkari said, “We want to ask you, should farmers not get water for farming? Should villages not be developed? Is the security of the country not important... the changes made in the bill deal with these subjects only. Development of villages, irrigation projects, power projects for rural areas, houses for poor and industrial corridor, have been kept out of social impact and consent clause."
“While bringing the amendments, the government has not compromised on rehabilitation and compensation clause. The issues included in the bill are not against the rights of farmers but it will help them gain financial stability. People have questioned the ordinance, but it was brought for the benefit of farmers. It is wrong to say that amendments have been brought without consultations with opposition parties. We had organised a meeting of all state governments and changes were made on the basis of the recommendations made by state governments."
“We are ready to hold an open debate on the bill," Gadkari said. However, he did not specifically refer to the consent clause.
Political analysts said the government is trying a damage-control exercise by writing letters and asking for an open debate on the bill. “It is a pre-emptive damage-control exercise because the government knows that without making substantial changes in the land acquisition bill, the bill in its present form may not get passed in the Rajya Sabha where the government lacks majority," said P.K. Datta, a New Delhi-based political analyst and professor of political science in Delhi University.
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!