New Delhi: Budget Session of the Parliament began on a sour note on Tuesday with the opposition cornering the Modi government over the contentious Land Acquisition Bill that was tabled in the Lok Sabha.
Raising slogans, opposition leaders said that they would not support the amendments to the bill.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma lashed out at Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha saying, “You expect Parliament to rubber stamp your ordinances, you don’t send anything to standing committee.”
Defending the Bill, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, “Government is within its right to take Ordinance route.” However, he said that the government was ready to discuss the bill.
It is learnt that the consent of 70 per cent of the farmers, whose land is being acquired would be mandatory before the acquisition.
If the government went ahead with the amendment, it would be accommodating this clause, which was one of the key feature in the Land Acquisition Bill introduced by the UPA regime, where consent of majority of the land owners was mandatory.
Meanwhile, social activist Anna Hazare's agitation against the Land ordinance at Jantar Mantar began on Monday.
Government's move to go ahead with the Land Ordinance faced a major hurdle with Delhi chief minister, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and his estranged mentor, Anna Hazare deciding to come together against the move after a gap of over two years.
Earlier, launching a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi government, Hazare described the ordinance as a “weapon for land grab.” He said, “Britishers used to do it. This government is worse than the British.” Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister, Hazare further said, “achche din has come for the corporates not the farmers and the common man.”
TMC MPs protest against land acquisition bill outside the Parliament. (Photo: ANI Twitter)
