Making a scathing attack on the Congress leadership for taking ‘a dubious and dishonest stand’ on the land Bill, the BJP on Tuesday called for a debate on the land issue asking the main Opposition party to explain acquisition of 80,000 acres and 5,07,147 acres in Haryana and Andhra Pradesh respectively during its rule without being vetted by the provisions of Social Impact Assessment and consent which it otherwise insisted to be included in the Bill moved by the Modi Government.
Addressing a joint Press conference here Minister for Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari and Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, lashed out at the Congress for ‘shedding crocodile tears’ for farmers after ‘robbing lakhs of acres of land’ in Haryana and Andhra Pradesh without giving “adequate compensation” by using British age land Acquisition Act of 1894.
Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s claim that his party did not allow even an inch of land to be acquired, they asked “We would like to know what is the scale of his inch after acquiring lakhs of acres of land.”
Naidu and Gadkari quoted a Hindi proverb “Sau chuhe kha kar billi Haj ko chali” (A cat going to a pilgrimage after eating 100 rats). The Ministers asked: Does a cat become holy after such a pilgrimageIJ
Asking where was Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul when lakhs of acres of land was being acquired in Haryana and Andhra Pradesh under the Congress rule, Naidu demanded to know from
the Congress leaders why
consent and SIA were not applied during the wanton purchases of land. On Rahul saying “land is a second mother,” Naidu said “if it is so, then you have committed a great sin”.
“As much as 3,77,691 acres of land was acquired in Andhra Pradesh in the period from 2004 to 2014, and 1,29,456 acres of land was acquired in Telangana in the same period. We are all aware who has benefitted from such deals”, said Naidu.