JOIN USThe Narendra Modi government managed to bring on board most of the discontented NDA allies, barring two from Maharashtra, to ensure the passage of land acquisition legislation without much embarrassment in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP's floor managers were also able to convince the AIADMK and the BJD not to oppose the bill, raising hope that the regional parties from Tamil Nadu and Odisha would side with the Treasury benches in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA is in a minority.
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015, will now have to be taken up by the Upper House.
The BJP’s minor partner in Maharashtra, the Swabhimani Paksha, however, refused to sail with another state ally, the Shiv Sena, which bailed out the Centre by abstaining from voting in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday night.
The Swabhimani Paksha’s lone MP Raju Shetty voted against the amended bill, conceived by the previous UPA government, describing it as anti-farmer.
The BJD, interestingly, agreed to support the bill on many counts after the government accepted some of its suggestions, but walked out before the final voting after an eight-hour debate spread over two days.
Before leaving the House, BJD MP B Mahtab expressed unhappiness over the government not accepting a few more suggested amendments, such as a consent clause before acquiring land and refusal to make affected rural inhabitants partner in power generation infrastructure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had himself reached out to Odisha Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik, assuring him that his government would take care of their state's grievances, said government sources.