As Parliament reconvened for the budget session, Left party members, various farmer’s unions and civil society organisations came together under the banner of ‘Bhumi Adhikaar Andolan’ and staged a huge protest against the new land Bill here on Tuesday. They demanded that the ‘anti-farmer’ land ordinance be taken back.
The Bill seeking to amend the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 is likely to come up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha this session. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on March 10.
Braving the summer heat, scores of farmers, workers and Adivasi people congregated at Jantar Mantar to share their experiences of land acquisition by the government against their will. They unitedly demanded a policy that promoted farming and protected farmers and everyone who depended on land for their livelihood.
National Alliance of People’s Movements leader Medha Patkar said that even after the government made some changes to its previous land ordinance, issues pertaining to removal of consent clause and social impact assessment of projects requiring land acquisition were unaddressed.
D. Raja, Communist Party of India leader and Rajya Sabha member, promised to oppose the Bill whenever it came for discussion in the Rajya Sabha.
Sitaram Yechury, general secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Rajya Sabha member, said the new land Bill would not only “ruin our farmer, but is also badly timed since kharif crop acreage has gone down in India for the first time.”
