The Opposition parties on Tuesday stepped up their campaign against the Modi Government’s land Acquisition Bill with Congress president Sonia Gandhi leading a march of 14 political parties to Rashtrapati Bhavan, and declaring a do-or-die battle against the “anti-farmer” legislation.
The Opposition parties sought immediate intervention of President Pranab Mukherjee against the “draconian law”. Sonia’s views were echoed by MPs of other parties such as JD(U), SP, INlD, TMC, DMK, NCP, left and AAP.
“We have come together to oppose the Modi Government’s amendment to the right of fair compensation and transparency in land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Resettlement Act 2013. All secular democratic forces are determined to defeat the Modi Government’s design to promote division and social disharmony,” Sonia said after meeting the President.
JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, who acted as convener of the protest march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan, said the fight against land Bill was going to be “aar ya paar ki ladai”. “It will be a fight to finish as the Bill is not only anti-farmer but also anti-India,” Yadav said.
Twenty six leaders, including former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, met the President urging him to protect farmer interests by impressing upon the Modi Government “to not go ahead with the Amendments” in the Rajya Sabha, saying they were aimed at promoting “divisions and social disharmony”.
leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leader in the lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI), Derek O’Brien (Trinamool), Kanimozhi (DMK), Dushyant Chautala (INlD), Praful Patel (NCP), Dharamvir Gandhi (AAP), E Ahmed (IUMl), Joy Abraham (Kerala Congress-M) and Jay Prakash Yadav (RJD) were among the leaders, who met the President.
CPI leader and Rajya Sabha member D Raja said, “President’s intervention is necessary as it is a draconian Bill which is anti-farmers.” While Kanimozhi said that the Bill is anti-farmer and “people opposing the Bill are a majority”, Derek complimented all parties coming together for the historic march. “What a procession to R Bhavan... something to tell the grandchildren about. Decades from now,” Derek later tweeted.
This is the first time Opposition parties have come together in such large numbers against the BJP-led Government since the lok Sabha election defeat last year. The land acquisition law, the brainchild of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council during the UPA regime had stringent provisions against acquisition of farmers’ land.
But the Modi Government has amended some of the provisions to ease acquisition of land for industrialisation through an Ordinance. The Government is facing problems in ensuring its passage in the Rajya Sabha where it does not have the numbers.
Earlier during the one-kilometre march to Raisina Hill, the leaders shouted anti-Government slogans resolving to continue their Opposition till the Modi Government drops changes in the 2013 Bill. In the memorandum, the parties said the amendments to the Ordinance have been approved by the lok Sabha because the BJP has a majority there.
The memorandum further said that the amendments do away with pre-notification social impact assessment (SIA), which is an essential safeguard to prevent diversion of acquired land, to prevent acquisition of excess land and to ensure that acquisition of multi-crop irrigated land would only be a demonstrable last resort, if at all. The SIA to be carried out in no more than six months would also identify livelihood losers entitled to compensation and relief and rehabilitation benefits, it said.
Meanwhile, before the Opposition parties took on the roads to protest, its members in the Rajya Sabha took on the Government on the Prohibitory Orders imposed by the Delhi Police outside Parliament to prevent the march. While seeking an intervention from the deputy chairman PJ Kurien, the united Opposition forced the Government to make a hasty retreat on the orders.
The Delhi Police had written to political parties, which were to participate in the protest, saying “Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC (prohibiting assembly of four or more people at one place) are in promulgation in the areas surrounding the Parliament House. In view of the above, it is informed that any foot march in the form of a procession will be in violation of the prohibitory orders as no permission has been taken. It is, therefore, requested that the Hon’able Members of Parliament may be advised to not to proceed to Rashtrapati Bhawan in procession.”
Terming it as a serious issue and highly objectionable, Opposition members sought protection of their fundamental rights. SP leader Naresh Aggarwal said preventing MPs for marching till Rashtrapati Bhawan to meet the President, with whom they have an appointment, was a violation of their fundamental rights. MPs sought a response from the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
“To assemble peacefully and without arms, this is one of the Fundamental Rights. How could police even imagine that the MPs will be indulged in any kind of hooliganism and indecent act between Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhawan,” said Ram Gopal Yadav of SP.
Kurien asked the Government to reconsider such an order. “If members have an appointment with the President of India, they are free to go and meet him. Nobody can block you. If MPs do some unlawful thing, then it is a different thing,” Kurien said.
With the matter heating up and discussion on Railway Budget getting diverted, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi clarified: “Concerned office orders have been issued. We are against violation of democratic rights. We are strongly committed for democratic rights.”