Hours after veteran social activist Anna Hazare launched his protest against the land Acquisition Ordinance, the Congress Government in Assam has extended its full support to Hazare and said that the State will not implement the new land policy. Slamming the land Acquisition Ordinance of the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday said that the Government of Assam has all along been opposing anti-people, anti-farmers' policies.
"Our Government stood against anti-people and anti-farmers' policies. The land Acquisition Ordinance is anti-people and anti-farmers' and meant to serve only the interests of the rich, affluent and industrialists," he said adding that the State is dead against such a policy. "We are not going to implement it. Our Government expresses its strong opposition to the Ordinance and extends full support to social activist Anna Hazare in his crusade against it," Gogoi said in a statement on Monday.
The Chief Minister had last month told the media that the State Government is drafting a new land policy and added that the Government will bring a new bill in the State regarding land acquisition for industries and other purposes. He said that the Government was working on it as agricultural lands were getting reduced due to various reasons including using it for non-farming purposes, erosion and acquisition by Government institutions like railways and road department.