Anna Hazare, activist, said here on Monday that the Union government’s decision to take the ordinance route in amending the Land Acquisition Act was undemocratic. He said the protest he launched here against the amendments to the Act could be the start of a larger movement.
Mr. Hazare said the government had promised “Acche Din” (good days) during the elections, but good days had come only to corporates. “This is land grab. Britishers used to do it. Today’s government is worst than the British regime. Even the British did not met out so much of injustice to farmers,” he said.
“If the government doesn’t take the ordinance back, then the people will also continue with their agitation. The activists will make the farmers aware of the amendments. There is a chance that farmers from across the country will gather at the Ramlila Maidan in the next three or four months.”
The protest on Monday was organised under the banner of Mr. Hazare’s organisation Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Andolan Nyas and was supported by two farmer groups — Bharatiya Gramin Samaj and Sanyukta Kisan Sangarsh Samiti. They were joined by Medha Patkar, activist, and members of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM).
In stark difference to the 2011 anti-corruption movement, which was marshalled by the likes of Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav, Monday’s rally felt disjointed at times with different voices jostling for space. The event is, however, supposed to be a prelude to a bigger demonstration on Tuesday.
Centre’s stand
The government on Monday continued to try and allay apprehensions about the ordinance, saying it would benefit more farmers than what the earlier Act, introduced by the UPA, would.
“By bringing this ordinance, we have done something which would benefit all farmers,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told presspersons. He said the government included 13 pieces of legislation (introduced by former Minister Jairam Ramesh) which were not under the purview of the previous law, to ensure that compensation was paid for the land acquired for projects under these laws.
