Punjab and Haryana units of Bhartia Kisan Union (Mann) on Friday opposed the land Acquisition Bill proposed by the Central Government and also demanded compensation for the damage caused to the crops in the recent rains and hailstorm. A delegation of BKU led by its National president and chairman Bhupinder Singh Mann submitted a memorandum to the Punjab Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki requesting him to take up their issues with the Central Government to protect the interests of the farmers.
The memorandum said that the then Congress Government in 2013 had enacted a new law, “Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition Act”, which was a historic step in protecting the rights of the farmers. “Modi Government, within months of coming to power, stabbed the farmers in the back and has made changes in this law through an ordinance in a tearing hurry, just to please their corporate sponsors,” the memorandum said.
“Modi Government has completely destroyed the basic spirit of the land Acquisition Act, rendering it anti-farmer,” it said. The delegation said that there is a nationwide strong anguish among farmers against this sabotage of lawfully enacted law. “BKU has always been against any move to ruin the land Acquisition Act 2013,” the memorandum said.