Avoid ordinances on food, land Bills: CPM

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) has asked the Centre not to issue ordinances on the Food Security and Land Acquisition Bills.

“Both bills are major legislation and require thorough debate and scrutiny of Parliament,” said party general secretary Prakash Karat at a press conference, after a two-day meeting of party’s central committee.

The CPM will not support the two bills in their present form. “We will move many amendments,” he said.

The CPM wants the food security law to provide for universal public distribution system. It had to provide for 35 kg of food grains for each family (of five persons) at not more than Rs 2 per kg.

“The Land Acquisition Bill has a number of flawed clauses. The major flaw is that it excludes 13 laws from the purview of the Bill. These include the Indian Railways Act, National Highways Act and Land Acquisition (Mines) Act under which the bulk of the land acquisition takes place,” Karat said.