RSS affiliates oppose Land Bill

RSS affiliates Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Bhartiya Kisan Sangh and Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram today strongly opposed a number of provisions in NDA's Land Bill before a Joint Committee of Parliament that is looking into the contentious measure.

Sources said that these bodies vehemently came out against the provisions of doing way with the consent clause that was a key part of the earlier bill passed by the UPA and also felt that the clause of social impact survey, that has been removed by the Ordinance, should be brought back.

They also raised a number of questions regarding provision of land acquisition for industrial corridor and the definiton of private entity.

Swaraj Abhiyan's Yogendra Yadav, a former AAP leader, who appeared before the panel, later told reporters that NDA's land bill is not a Land Acquisition Ordinance, but a "land grabbing" one.

"We met the Joint Parliamentary panel and put forth our points. The 2013 Land Acquistion Act had to be amended, but for the betterment for the farmers. The Narendra Modi government has even ended that with the Ordinance by striking off the consent clause.

"They have changed the language in the Ordinance, which will only help the governments to acquire land for the industrialists. Today even the RSS affilaites like the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) is opposing the bill," Yadav told reporters after meeting the  JPC.

He, however, declined to share the details about the meeting. Yadav, who is leading the Jai Kisan Andolan, said the ordianance also reflected the mentality of the government.
"If the prestige of the Modi government is more important than the farmers then they will also teach the government a lesson," Yadav said.

He said his organisation will undertake Jan Jagran Abhiyan under which it will try to connect with 1 lakh villages in August this year. This will culiminate into a march to Parliament.

In its written submission to the panel, the BKS has already maintained that farmers' interests have been ignored by doing away with the provisions of social impact assessment and the clause relating to returning unutilised land.

Prabhakar Kelkar, BKS general secretary, said in the written submission to the panel the consent of a minimum of 51 per cent of farmers must be obtained before acquiring land.
RSS had suggested that the Centre should hold a dialogue with its associates like BMS and BKS who have strong reservations over the Land Acquisition Bill to ensure that farmers get their due.

The issue was raised vociferously by several farmers’ and workers’ bodies associated with the Sangh at the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Nagpur held in March this year.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch, another RSS affiliate, which had in May staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here against land ordinance, has slammed several provisions of the bill as "detestable and unacceptable".

They have pitched against the proposed legislationin its present form and insisted on incorporation of the consent clause and social impact assessment in the new law.

In another written representation before the panel, Santosh Golechha, the Rajya Sampark Pramukh of VHP in Chhattisgarh flagged the concerns about amending section 24 (2)of the Act.

He demanded that in case of section 24 (2) coming into force, the maximum market price of the acquired land on January 2015 should be applicable in all pending cases under the old Act.

In a separate written representation to the panel, former BJP ideologue Govindacharya slammed NDA over land ordinance issue and questioned the "haste" in changing provisions of 2013 land acquisition law saying this has sent a message that it is being done to further the interests of capitalists at the cost of farmers.

"Had the BJP made any promise to change the 2013 land acquisition law in its election manifesto? If not, what mentality does it denote to change it in a haste by bringing an ordinance?"  he has said in his written submission.

"Now this message has gone far and wide that the earlier law is being changed to promote the interest of industrialists and capitalists in place of the interests of the common man and farmers," he had said.

Govindacharya and a representative of Anna Hazare will also appear before the panel on Tuesday.