The RSS and groups affiliated to it seem unwilling to accept the BJP’s assertion that amendments to the ‘The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013’ are pro-farmer and pro-poor.
K.N. Govindacharya, former RSS ideologue and Rashtriya Swabhiman Aandolan founder, said the government would have to go back on the clauses that do away with seeking consent from gram sabhas and acquiring farm land for development work as the interests of farmers had been compromised.
On Monday, Mr. Govindacharya told The Hindu that discussions on the issue had taken place with the BJP leadership, including party president Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, but organisations like the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, were not convinced and would continue to push the government for a rollback of the amendments.
“Over the years, the country has lost about 1.80 lakh hectares of farm land. Farmers are not getting even the minimum support price from the government. In the past 45 days, 93 farmers have committed suicide in Marathwada alone, yet the government is pushing ahead with amendments that are anti-poor, anti-people and anti-farmers,” Mr. Govindacharya said.
He said the government’s role should not be that of a facilitator, but that of an adjudicator between the farmers and industry. The definition of land procurement for development projects needed to be narrowed down. Pointing out that the government must not acquire land for private parties, Mr. Govindacharya insisted that farm land should not be acquired for development purposes.
On Monday, the Rashtriya Kisan Samanvay Samiti (National Farmers’ Coordination Committee) saw over 30 farmers’ organisations, including RSS affiliates, come together to oppose the amendments. The coalition demanded farmers’ consent for acquiring land for development projects.
