Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday strongly defended the NDA Government’s proposed amendments to the land Acquisition Bill in the Rajya Sabha and asked the Opposition not to create an environment in which “infrastructure and industry become bad words”. He also attacked the Congress for bringing a “defective piece of legislation” which the NDA had to correct.
Making an intervention during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, Jaitley said that due to this “defective piece of legislation” the UPA itself struggled to get land for its Defence and security projects. He explained that the BJP has added only five more items to the existing list of 13 purposes exempted under the previous Act by the erstwhile UPA Government, which put Defence and security as urgent matters, but “forgot to put such projects in the exempted list.”
“This would have revealed the kind of Defence or security projects being put up. Where are they being put up and whyIJ Signatures of 70 per cent of the villagers (whose land is being acquired) would be needed as their consent, as also the Social Impact Assessment of installing the project. So, the information would be revealed and it would also reach Pakistan. It was a defective piece of legislation and a threat to India’s security. We corrected it,” Jaitley said.
“There are voices saying that the Bill is anti-farmer and corporate friendly…Rural projects are irrigation, electrification, roads and housing for poor.Are we reaching a stage where industry is a bad wordIJ” Jaitley said while adding that the Government was committed to protecting the rights of all communities.
In between, former Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh intervened saying the Government had no business to acquire land for business houses. “They can buy it directly. Nowhere does the Government acquire land for private parties,” Ramesh said.
Jaitley responded saying agricultural land cannot be used for commercial purpose without the land use conversion for which the industrialists have to run from pillar to post. “The share of agriculture in GDP is 15 per cent and 60 per cent of the population shares that 15 per cent. So you have to bring people out of agriculture and create jobs in manufacturing,” Jaitley said.
On allegations that the benefit of oil price reduction is not being passed on to the people, Jaitley said the oil companies have a historic backlog and the inventory losses of oil companies are about Rs. 30,000 crore. “The Government has stakes in these companies, so do private holders. Should we let these companies be destroyedIJ” he added.
Blaming the previous Government for leaving a legacy in the highways sector in which neither any builder was willing to bid for any project nor was any bank ready to provide loan, Jaitley said, “part of the money from reduction in oil prices will go to building of highways.”
Quoting US Presidential candidate Ross Perot’s famous campaign line “lead me, follow me or get out of the way” Jaitley said that his Government was focusing on growth and development and asked the Opposition to play a constructive role instead of being a roadblock. He also defended the coal block allocations and said there was no intention to de-nationalise Coal India.
Attacking Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for his remarks that the NDA was only changing the names of UPA schemes, Jaitley said not only the name but the entire substance has been changed. The Finance Minister cited the example of Jan Dhan scheme, saying it was only “ornamental” during the UPA’s tenure whereas 12.5 crore accounts were opened in 100 days during the NDA’s regime as it reached the people.
He said Azad showed disrespect towards the wisdom of the people when he termed the BJP a red-rag for sweeping Jammu. “Your definition of red rag changes,” he told the Congress leader, adding it was no secret as to how in the past the Congress party had been winning in J&K. Jaitley said the people’s mandate was not with the Congress in J&K as the people voted overwhelmingly for BJP in Jammu and for PDP in the Valley. “There is a peculiar situation there for us but there is no lack of honesty in our stand. It is because of our transparency and honesty that Hurriyat is ready to talk to us and not to you,” he said and added that it may be a historical opportunity to bring about reconciliation in J&K in larger national interest. He asked Azad to dwell upon what his party did there in the last five decades.
Also, he said introspection was needed as to why States like Kerala and West Bengal were revenue deficit and whether a historical legacy was behind it.He said on MGNREGA, the allotment was Rs 34,000 crore out of which just Rs 33,785 was spent including Rs 23,000 on wages.