New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said, in her ruling, that there is no Bill identical to the one being proposed that is pending and allowed the introduction of the Bill for voting.
The Opposition attacked the Bill for being “anti-farmer”, and Congress MPs walked out after it was introduced. They were joined by the Trinamul, AAP and Left MPs.
Rural development minister Birender Singh introduced the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015. The government was forced to promulgate the land acquisition ordinance twice so far as the Bill could not be passed by Parliament.
Even before the Speaker’s ruling, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said though she has discretion, the Chair’s powers should be used “judiciously” and urged her not to allow introduction of the Bill. He accused the government of serving the interests of capitalists and corporate bodies.
Raju Shetti of Swabhimani Paksha Party, an ally of the NDA government, also opposed the Bill, claiming the consent clause had been diluted.
Speaking elsewhere, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the UPA’s land acquisition law was also adopted in a hurry. He admitted that the BJP had supported the passage of the Bill in 2013.
“The Land Acquisition Bill is being considered after 120 years. Were even 120 hours devoted to consider such an old legislation? It was not. Only the Congress was not responsible for it. We had supported it,” Mr Modi said, adding, “After I became the PM, almost all CMs told me the Land Acquisition Bill needs to be corrected.”
