NEW DELHI: The NDA Government on Monday indicated that it would accept all the amendments proposed by the Congress, virtually restoring the Land Acquisition Bill to its 2013 form barring a few clarificatory changes.
“The (JPC) report will be unanimous, with no dissent notes. That is my aim,” Chairman of Joint Parliamentary Committee on Land Bill and BJP MP S S Ahluwalia told Express. He said the report would be tabled by August 7.
The AIADMK, otherwise supportive of the NDA Government, has refused to back it on the Land Bill. Also Shiv Sena has been confabulating with the opposition parties on the Bill during the JPC meetings.
Ahluwalia, however, chose to highlight how “11 BJP MPs” sought removal of the provisions that withdrew the need for social impact survey, consent of majority farmers and a few other points.
Sources indicated that the government’s climbdown started after the BJP members moved amendments at the JPC meeting seeking to bring back social impact assessment and consent clause.
“It is as good as our own Act of 2013,” a Congress member in the JPC said, after the meeting ended in total agreement with the amendments moved by the BJP.
TMC members Derek O’Brien and Kalyan Banerjee walked out of the meeting stating that the amendments were circulated on Monday morning and they had little time to study it.
Six of the amendments to the Bill were discussed, on which there was a consensus.
Of the total 15 amendments to the NDA’s Bill, nine were substantial in nature that have been opposed by the Congress and a number of Opposition parties.
Sushma’s speech Drowned in uproar
After 13 days of logjam, Sushma Swaraj managed to protest her innocence on the floor of the RS, but it was mostly drowned out amid the sloganeering by the Opposition. “I have been coming for the last seven days to the RS so that a discussion can be held on the matter. But the discussion is never being held and they are always creating chaos,” she shouted amid protests by the Opposition in the Well of the House.