Land Acquisition Bill unites Opposition, Sonia Gandhi leads protest march
New Delhi: In the first major display of Opposition unity against the Narendra Modi government, leaders of 14 political parties, led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, marched from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday against amendments to the Land Acquisition Act, and pledged to continue their “do or die” battle.
A delegation of 26 senior leaders, including former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H.D. Deve Gowda, met President Pranab Mukherjee and urged him to protect farmers’ interests by asking Centre “not to go ahead with the amendments in the Rajya Sabha”, saying these were aimed at promoting “divisions and social disharmony”.
Over 100 Opposition MPs from major political parties, including the JD(U), Samajwadi Party, Trinamul Congress, CPI and CPM, NCP, AAP and INLD, marched the 1-km distance over Raisina Hill to the presidential estate. While the BSP stayed away from the march, the BJD and the AIADMK did not join due to their proximity to the government.
The march was preceded by considerable controversy over whether it would be allowed by the Delhi police, but the Opposition in Parliament forced the government to reverse an order by the Delhi police, that had initially prohibited the march.
This is the first time the Opposition parties have joined forces in such large numbers against the BJP-led Modi government since the Lok Sabha election last year. “We have come together to oppose the Narendra Modi government’s amendments to the right of fair compensation and transparency in Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Resettlement Act 2013... All progressive, secular, democratic and forward-looking forces are determined to defeat the Modi government’s design to promote divisions and social disharmony. We have come to the President to request him to intervene to protect the interests of our farmers and to impress upon the Modi government not to go ahead with the amendments in the Rajya Sabha. These are some of the reasons for which we have come here,” Mrs Gandhi told the media after the delegation met the President.
