Anna warns govt over land ordinance

Activist Anna Hazare-led agitation against the land acquisition ordinance has all the potential to snowball into a major protest.

Though Hazare initiated the protest on Monday at Jantar Mantar, the formal launch would be on Tuesday at Parliament Street and has received a boost following the announcement that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would join it in the afternoon.

The protest leaders have made clear that nothing short of repealing the ordinance would be acceptable.

Meanwhile, according to sources, the government has opened a covert dialogue to avert confrontation on the issue.

“BJP general secretary Ram Madhav had a talk with Ekta Parishad chief P V Rajgopal. Some of the farmers’ groups close to the BJP have also been approached by the government,” sources said.

However, the protest leaders, including Anna Hazare, are adamant that the ordinance should be repealed.

The government, they say, is sending feelers that it is ready to delete some of the provisions in the Bill.

Nevertheless, Hazare has given a call to the people to be prepared for a long battle and to gather at Ramleela Maidan for a big rally.

“Those leaders who have been in touch with the government have also made it clear that nothing less than repealing the ordinance would be acceptable,” National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM) leader Madhuresh told Deccan Herald.

More protesters likely

The rally on Parliament Street would be joined by different groups. It includes groups led by Rajgopal and Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav.

Rajgopal is leading a march from Palwal and Yadav a Jai Kisan Yatra that has travelled across Mewat region in Haryana.

“A series of struggles by movements of the country resulted in the making of the Land Acquisition Act in 2013, which had provisions which could not sideline the interests of farmers and workers such as consent of landholders, social impact assessment, a limited time period for the project to begin after land acquisition, clearly outlined provisions for rehabilitation and resettlement, etc,” Medha Patkar (NAPM), Hannan Molla (CPM), Atul Anjan (CPI) and Sunilam (Kisan Sangharsh Samiti) said in a joint press conference on here.

“It is remarkable that land has not been acquired even once for any project under this law and the NDA government in its short tenure of eight months has introduced an ordinance that is less of an amendment and more of a complete negation of the law,” they said.  
“We will protest against the draconian land ordinance,” they asserted.