In order to generate awareness about the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) Central Government’s Land Acquisition Bill, the Delhi Congress flagged off a ‘Kisan Rath’ which will tour villages situated across the 11 Assembly segments of the Capital.
Bearing slogans such as “Bhoomi Bachao, Kisan Bachao; Jameen hamari, faisla tumara nahi chalega, nahi chalega” and “Apni jaan denge, par jameen nahi denge and bhoomi adhikaran Bill me shamshodan udyogpathiyonke hak me”, the said Rath would tour villages across Narela, Burari, Chhattarpur, Mundka, Vikaspuri, Bawana, Matiala, Bijwasan, Badarpur, Nangloi and Mehrauli.
“The Kisan Rath will be accompanied by the ex-MLA of the concerned Assembly segment, and other prominent leaders. Pamphlets, detailing the needs and problems of the farmers, would also be distributed among the farmers during the Kisan Rath tour,” said Ajay Maken, Delhi Congress president, after launching the initiative.
Mr. Maken said the Central Government’s move to pass the Land Acquisition Bill-2015 was intended to break the back of the farmers and rob them of their cultivable land and to hand the land over to big industrialists.
That was why, he said, the Congress had decided to educate farmers about the pitfalls of the Bill, which the party claims is totally anti-farmer and not in the interests of the agricultural economy which the country relies on.
“The Narendra Modi Government should approve the Land Acquisition Bill brought forward during the Congress rule, as it was intended to protect the interest of the farmers. We recently visited several villages where we were told that neither the BJP-led Central Government nor the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi Government has taken any step to assess the crop losses and compensate the farmers, to bail them out of the deep debts in which they have been trapped now,” Mr. Maken said. The Congress demanded that each farmer be given an immediate compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre for their crops losses in addition to their electricity bills being written off for six months giving them enough time to raise new crops.
Mr. Maken said the Central Government’s move to pass the Land Acquisition Bill-2015 was intended to break the back of the farmers and rob them of their cultivable land
