Hundreds of Congress workers on Monday clashed with the police during a protest against the BJP Government’s land Acquisition Bill, saying it was anti-farmer.
Police resorted to lathicharge and used water cannons leading to injuries to some, including Youth Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Brar, when Congress workers tried to break barricades at Jantar Mantar to proceed towards Parliament.
Senior party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh, Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel addressed the protesters who gathered at Jantar Mantar.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was not present in the protest, expressed her solidarity with the protesters in a message through Patel.
Azad termed the Ordinance as an attempt to weaken the Food Security law passed by the UPA Government.
“You continue protesting outside the Parliament, we will try not to let the Bill get passed when it is introduced in Parliament,” the leader of Congress in the Rajya Sabha said.
“We are not talking about changing the shape of the Bill. We are not for any amendment of the Bill. We want this Bill to go lock, stock and barrel,” he added.
The rally was a culmination of Youth Congress’ march against the land Acquisition Bill launched on Friday from Bhatta-Parsaul village in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida district, which reached Rajghat here on Sunday night.
Former Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who was instrumental in drafting the UPA’s land Bill, slammed the Government for “doing away” with the safeguards, thus, “bringing back” the draconian 1894 law.
“For the first time we put power in the hands of the farmers from the hands of the collectors. Even the land labourers were given bargaining power through the law. It had the provisions of four-time compensation. We essentially repealed the century old law,” he said.
Other party leaders — Raj Babbar, Oscar Fernandes, Randeep Surjewala, Sachin Pilot, Kumari Selja, Deepender Singh Hooda and Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken — also participated in the protest.
Addressing the gathering, Babbar said Government’s decision to “do away” with the consent clause in the in the Bill was not acceptable.
“Even if I take a pen from you, I will ask you. Then how come you take away land from farmers without their consentIJ” Babbar asked.