Cong claims credit for BJP backtracking on land bill

The Congress on Tuesday claimed credit for forcing the Narendra Modi government’s U-turn on the land acquisition bill.

A Parliamentary panel examining the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Billl at a meeting on Monday had agreed to restore key provisions of the 2013 law passed by the then UPA government.

The Modi government had scrapped the consent and social impact assessment provisions by promulgating an Ordinance thrice since last December.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said the party would keep up the pressure on the Centre to dismiss External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and two chief ministers.

“On the land issue, the Congress stood in front of them. They (the government) shouted, made too much noise, threatened and later made a U-turn and ran away,” Rahul told reporters on the sidelines of a sit-in protest on Parliament premises.

“Similarly, on the issue of corruption, Vyapam, Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, we will not minimise the pressure even if they throw us out of Parliament or do not let us enter,” said Rahul.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury asked why the government had amended the 2013 land acquisition law by promulgating an Ordinance if it had meant to restore the original bill. “Why did you waste Parliament's time?” he asked.

Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh scoffed at the Congress claiming credit on the land bill. “Those reduced to 44 will speak in such a way,” said Singh, who had quit the Congress to join the Modi government after the Lok Sabha polls.