NEW DELHI: Quite similar to the stand taken by some other RSS affiliates, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) on Tuesday slammed the Land Acquisition Bill pending before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the ground that it contained “several detestable and unacceptable Sections”.
The Sangh affiliates -- Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram -- have already voiced their opposition to the Bill. The SJM positioned itself alongside the opposition parties when its members told the JPC that the new law proposed by the government must include the consent clause, by which opinions of farmers were factored in before their land was acquired and a comprehensive assessment was carried out on the need and the social, cultural and environmental impact of the project.
The NDA Government’s land Bill, on which an ordinance has been repromulgated, is billed as a crucial part of its reforms agenda, aimed at making it easier to acquire land, especially for projects under five categories, including defence, nuclear power and government infrastructure projects.
The Bill is scheduled to be taken up for consideration and passing in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which is likely to be stormy for other reasons.
The SJM said the “government should not own the responsibility of acquiring land for the needs of private industries”.
It said the BJP-led NDA Government has shown “undue hurry” to bring an ordinance to replace a Land Act passed by the previous Congress-led Government in 2013 and also that the “repromulgated Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance issued on April 3 contains several
detestable and unacceptable Sections, even after incorporating several amendments that have been included in 2015 ordinance under intense public pressure.” The SJM also stressed that agricultural and forest land should not be acquired for any other purpose, in the interest of food security.