JOIN USThe Land Acquisition Ordinance protesters, Anna Hazare among them, declared on Monday that they would start the next stage of their agitation on March 23. A detailed programme would be chalked out in a week.
Meanwhile, a delegation of protesters submitted a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee demanding repeal of the Ordinance.
“We will continue the agitation and not allow the government to implement the law that will impoverish farmers,” declared Medha Patkar on Tuesday at the end of a day-long demonstration at Parliament Street.
She also acknowledged that the Opposition parties had staged a walkout in Parliament on the issue.
The event saw a sort of reunion of India Against Corruption when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reached the venue. He was invited to the dais and addressed the meeting. Though some protesters expressed opposition to it, Hazare brushed it aside, saying the dignity of the post he was holding should be honoured.
Kejriwal expressed support towards the movement and said although the Delhi government does not acquire land, if coercion is brought to its notice it would act against it.
He also lent the support of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the protest. Prominent AAP leader Yogendra Yadav also came with his supporters participating in his Jai Kisan Yatra in Haryana.
Other AAP leaders, including Lingraj (Odisha), Bhupendra Singh Rawat (Delhi) and Lalit Babar (Maharashtra), also attended the protest.
The rally, which was addressed by Atul Anjan (CPI) and Hannan Molla (CPM), among others, demanded repeal of the ordinance and return of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
Speaker after speaker slammed the government for “a law that forbids farmers from going to court in case of dispute”. Hazare warned the government of a nationwide agitation.