As protests against the amendments to the Land Acquisition Act gathered momentum, the Centre softened its stance and agreed to discuss contentious clauses, including the ones on social impact assessment and consent from affected people.
A day after President Pranab Mukherjee told representatives of various farmers’ organisations to convey their concerns to the leaders of various political parties, the Congress, too, hit the streets demanding withdrawal of the controversial amendments.
The Centre, under pressure, said it is not adamant on passing the Bill. “We are open to accepting good suggestions by other parties. If people have some opinion on social impact assessment or consent clauses, we are willing to hear them,” Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport, told reporters here on Wednesday.
The Congress warned the Centre against “touching land” on the advice of certain officers. “They (officers) always look for soft options. But we, politicians, will have to see the larger picture. That was why the consent clause was added in the Bill,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha, while participating in a debate in the Upper House.
Protests gain momentum The Congress party organised a one-day protest against the proposed amendments to the land acquisition law. Almost all senior leaders of the party, except Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, were present at the sit-in. Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel, who was the key speaker at the function, said those who try to grab the land of others would face the same fate as ‘Duryodhan’, the character in the Mahabharata epic.
He said the BJP came to power talking about a Congress-free India, but is engaged now in a move to make India free of farmers. Leftist farmers’ bodies and the National Alliance for People’s Movements have also decided to step up their agitations. Social activists Anna Hazare and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are also backing the protests.
The President, who met farmers’ leaders on Tuesday, said he empathised with their issues. “He assured us that he would send our memorandum to the Government. He told us to meet all political parties as the Bill is in Parliament,” said All India Kisan Sabha leader Vijoo Krishnan.