NEW DELHI: Despite the mounting pressure to review some of the provisions of the new Land Acquisition Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the BJP MPs to dispel the misgivings created by the Opposition parties against the legislation, as the saffron party was pro-farmer.
Addressing the MPs during the BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday morning, he is learnt to have said that the Bill was drafted after including the suggestions of the Congress Chief Ministers.
“It was reiterated at the parliamentary party meet that we are for the welfare of farmers and every step this government takes will be for the welfare of the farmers, the poor and the downtrodden,” Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
Sources quoted the PM saying that the BJP, which followed the philosophy of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, will always be in favour of the farmers. He asked the party leaders to strongly dispel the ‘myths’ created by Opposition parties on the Bill.
BJP chief Amit Shah also set up an eight-member committee to hold talks with the protesting farmers’ organisations. Former Union Minister Satyapal Malik is the convener of the panel that also includes MPs Bhupender Yadav, Ram Narayan Dudi, Hukam Dev Narayan, Rakesh Singh, Sanjay Dhotre and Suresh Angadi, besides Gopal Agarwal, a chartered accountant.
Uddhav irked by ordinance
Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has made public his reservations against the Land Acquisition Ordinance. He said that his party would not support any ‘anti-farmer’ legislation. “The farmers have taken you to the power. Don’t try to hold their neck. We are not against development but we will not support any legislation which will work against the farmers’ interests,” he said.