Congress will continue to oppose Land Bill: Jairam Ramesh

Ramesh also dubbed as "totally rubbish" the claim of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that under the 2013 Act, it will not be possible to acquire land for hospitals, schools and roads among others and clarified that there was no bar on acquiring land for government, including defence projects.

"We are against the amendments made in the 2013 Land Act by the Modi government through Ordinance without calling an all-party meeting, despite the fact that it was passed with the consent of all parties," he told reporters here.

"In the current scenario, it is impossible for this Bill to get passed in the Rajya Sabha as the SP, BSP, JD(U), TMC, DMK and even NDA allies like Shiv Sena and Akali Dal are opposed to it," the senior Congress leader said.

The Congress is opposing these amendments on five grounds, he said.

Elaborating further, he said the Bill dilutes the consent clause of securing consent of 80 percent farmers for acquiring land for private companies and 70 percent for projects to be implemented on PPP (Public, Private Partnership) mode.

The present Bill dilutes provisions of Social Impact Assessment for private projects to check the practice of acquiring land for a government project and handing over to private players after sometime, he said.

Source: Latest News

NCP will vote against land ordinance in Rajya Sabha: Sharad Pawar

"I have spoken to a number of political parties who are opposed to the ordinance. The government may bulldoze it in the Lok Sabha based on its majority in the Lower House. But the picture will be different in the Rajya Sabha.

The NCP will vote against the ordinance in the Upper House," Pawar told reporters here. He said the Government has appointed Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari as the pointsman to hold dialogue with the Opposition to support the ordinance's passage in the Parliament.
  
"I have known Gadkari to be polite and open for dialogue. But the language of the letter he has written to all Opposition members asking whether they don't want development and water to farmers as well as defence projects smacks of arrogance of power. It is not the language of dialogue," Pawar said.

The letter is based on the brief he has got from his political bosses, Pawar charged, adding that he has not replied to the letter.
  
Pawar recalled that the Land Acquisition Bill passed in 2013 was drafted by a committee headed by him. "All suggestions by the then Leaders of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were incorporated and the Bill was passed unanimously. Why was a decision made to scrap the Act and bring amendments," he asked.

Source: Latest News

Re-promulgation of Land Ordinance not ruled out

The government, which is mulling various options, meanwhile, took post-facto approval from the Union Cabinet to the nine amendments which have been included in a bill that was cleared by Lok Sabha and is pending before Rajya Sabha.       

A hint about re-promulgation of the Ordinance, that was initially issued in December last, was given by Rural Development Minister Birender Singh, who told reporters in Chandigarh that the Ordinance could be re-issued.     

"You know that the Ordinance is going to lapse on April 5. Rajya Sabha has not passed it. May be it (Ordinance) will be re-promulgated," he said when asked about the fate of the controversial Ordinance which a bill seeks to replace.
   
In Delhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu dismissed as "speculation" the reports that the government may allow the ordinance to lapse on April 5.
   
"I have seen in certain quarters today that Land Acquisition Ordinance may be allowed to lapse. These are speculation. Government has not taken any such decision to allow Land Acquisition Ordinance to lapse," Naidu told reporters here.

Find Latest News from Latest India News