NEW DELHI: The Congress will hold a Kisan Mazdoor Samman Rally at the Ramlila Ground here on September 20 to greet farmers and party workers for "forcing" the Narendra Modi government to withdraw the "draconian" land ordinance.
"The draconian decision of (Prime Minister) Modi and his government to whittle down the rights to the Fair Compensation (and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Act 2013, the most important piece of farmer welfare legislation enacted by the Congress-led UPA has come to a naught finally.
"This has happened on account of a committed and sustained struggle of lakhs and lakhs of farmers in every nook and corner of India from Parliament to Ramlila Ground, from state capitals to small villages," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters here while giving details of the rally.
In the run-up to the rally, Congress youth wing activists will gather outside the AICC office tomorrow "to celebrate the victory in compelling BJP Government to go back to UPA's land law", which will also be joined in by senior leaders.
Surjewala said that Congress and its workers as well as social and farmers' organisations, like-minded political parties protested vociferously and decisively the government's attempts to "kill the soul and spirit" of the 2013 Act.
"Despite Modi's obduracy to successively push through Ordinance to undermine the 2013 Act, the sinister conspiracy failed and the government had to bend at the doorsteps of India's farmers," Surjewala said referring to the government's decision to bring land ordinance in December last year to effect key changes in the law including removal of consent clause and social impact survey.
The government had promulgated the ordinance thrice but had to allow it to lapse finally on August 31 as it faced opposition from not only rival parties but also allies and RSS affiliates.
Surjewala said that the rally, which will be addressed by party President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi is aimed at not only celebrating the success of India's farmers and farm labourers but to tell the Modi Government that they cannot replace their "dictatorial" will for the hard work of the farmer who is the 'Ann-data' of the country.