Comments
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is conspicuous by his presence in Parliament in the ongoing Budget session. Taking their cue, the government’s floor managers too have decided on a more people-friendly approach. But for all the pleasantries, the most critical legislative business is still in danger of being derailed. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 is like the difficult pill the PM has not been able to convince even his own party members to swallow. While Anna Hazare and his followers pledge countrywide protest, the PM senses his MPs’ nervousness. Rural Development Minister Birender Singh was accordingly asked to make a presentation so that the ruling alliance is better informed about the Bill. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu reiterated objections voiced by the Congress government in Kerala and the CM of Maharashtra in 2011.
A pamphlet titled Bhoomi Adhigrahan — Dushprachaar Se Alag Asal Tathya (Land Acquisition — Separating Fact from Fiction) was circulated by the BJP and Amit Shah constituted a committee to address farmers’ concerns. The result of is that while the NDA allies — Shiv Sena, SAD, as well as smaller groups like the Raju Shetty-led Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana — are opposing the “black Bill”, ruling party MPs are wondering why no such preparations were made before the ordinance was promulgated. Notwithstanding claims about wide consultations and presentations having been received from 32 States and Union Territories before the ordinance amending the previous land Act was promulgated, no MP would like to carry the burden of being “pro-rich and anti-farmer”. The government appears ill-prepared to counter the mounting opposition.
What the ruling side clearly did not account for is the drastic change in the political climate since the Delhi Assembly elections. There is a new spring in the Opposition’s step and allies are more eager to fight for their space. In such circumstances, even a seemingly innocuous player like Raju Shetty finds a voice.
Poornima Joshi Political Editor
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.