The Centre told the Lok Sabha on Monday that there will be amendments to the proposed Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 on which debate started in the House on Monday afternoon.
During the debate on the proposed amendment Bill, Deputy Speaker M Thamidurai informed the House that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has said that the Government will consider amendments in the Bill.
However, among the 40-50 suggested amendments by various parties, Naidu did not say which one would be accepted by the Government. Although Naidu said that the clauses concerning compensation to the farmers “have not been touched”, sources said that the Government is unlikely to bend on clauses concerning consent and social impact assessment of the land to be acquired.
The Communist Party of India moved a statutory resolution in the Lok Sabha expressing “disapproval” to the proposed amendment Bill. The resolution was taken up simultaneously with the proposed Bill during the discussion.
The day began with the Modi-led Government making a last-ditch attempt to bring about a consensus on the Bill. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh met with the Opposition leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge from the Congress, B. Mahtab from Biju Janata Dal, D. Raja from Communist Party of India and Derek ‘O’ Brien from the Trinamool Congress. The Ministers are believed to have briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the meeting.
Immediately afterwards, Congress asserted that there was no question of discussing any amendments because it wanted no changes in the original legislation passed by the UPA. “We do not want any changes in the 2013 Land bill brought by the UPA,” said Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Congress was joined by the Left parties as well as the Trinamool Congress, the Biju Janata Dal, the AIADMK, the RJD, the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal (U) and several others in opposing the proposed Bill. NDA ally Shiv Sena also criticised the Bill.
When asked whether his party is open to amendments being brought by the Government to take on board the concerns of various stakeholders, Kharge said: “Where is the question of accepting amendments when we are saying that there should be no changes in the previous Bill”.
The clash between the Government and a united Opposition was clear when the CPI MP C N Jayadevan moved a statutory resolution in the Lok Sabha expressing “disapproval” of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 at the same time when the Rural Development Minister Birender Singh moved the Bill to amend the previous Act.
Both the motions were moved simultaneously and the debate started with a difference of opinion between Mallikarjun Kharge who wanted the Rural Development Minister to “explain” the Government’s proposed Bill that seeks to amend the previous Land Acquisition Act. The Rural Development Minister replied by stressing that when there is a statutory resolution, the MP who moves the resolution, speaks first. “Sir, they are opposing the Ordinance itself. So, let them oppose the Ordinance. The Minister will reply,” said Minister of State in the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
The debate will continue on Tuesday. The division of votes on the proposed Bill will also take place tomorrow.