Stepping up its resistance against the land acquisition law, the Shiv Sena on Thursday said it would fiercely oppose the bill and not commit the sin of "damaging" the interest of farmers at the cost of being in power.
Calling it a "draconian" law that would finish off the very existence of farmers, the BJP-ally in Maharashtra said the government could not budge an inch forward by "insulting" the struggle of farmers assembled at Jantar Mantar in Delhi under activist Anna Hazare’s leadership.
"The government has shocked everyone by bringing in the ordinance. Will oppose the [land acquisition] bill at any cost," the Sena said in a editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamna .
Charging that the government was helping corporates acquire land of farmers, it said questions were being raised as to whether the government was playing the role of a real estate agent.
"Farmers are reeling under the huge debt burden but instead of doing something on that front, if the government is bent on gobbling up their land, then the fire of discontent will spread," it said.
"We will not commit the sin of damaging interests of farmers at the cost of being in power," the party said.
Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had on Wednesday asked his party’s workers to inform farmers in the State about the "ill effects" of the Land Acquisition Bill in the present format.
"People should know the stance we have taken. For this, Sena workers will propagate the ill effects [of the land acquisition ordinance] among farmers," senior Sena leader Subhash Desai had said after Uddhav addressed a meeting of party functionaries here in Mumbai.
