The government has initiated backchannel talks with political parties to build a consensus on the controversial Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2015, to replace the Ordinance. The Bill has already been introduced in the Lok Sabha.
BJP leaders including M. Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh have opened dialogue with allies and Opposition leaders. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who will return from abroad on Thursday, will speak to ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress. Informed sources said the NDA government may take on board a few suggestions without touching the “core issues.”
The SAD is pitching for the provision to seek consent from farmers before taking their land while the Congress wants the Bill to be brought in line with the Act passed by it in 2013. The Shiv Sena had skipped a meeting with NDA MPs convened by Mr. Naidu last week and declared that the Land Bill in its present form was not acceptable.
The amended Bill has done away with consent from land owners as well as the Social Impact Assessment for even private and public-private projects. It has opened the way for acquisition of multi-crop land and has made it difficult for land owners to get back their land if it is un-utilised for five years as was provided in the 2013 Act. The farmers will not be able to easily seek redress against officials who do not follow the provisions of law in terms of acquisition, compensation and rehabilitation.
Asked about the amendments that the government may accept, Union Rural Development Minister Birendra Singh told The Hindu that it would depend on the suggestions that come in.
In his reply to the discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hinted that if there was “anything against farmers” in the new Bill, the government can consider. Since the Bill has already been laid on the table in the Lok Sabha, any amendment will have to be considered at the time of consideration and passage.
