New Land Act in Lok Sabha, parties shout kill Bill

New Delhi: With pressure mounting from all corners, including the Opposition, social activists and even NDA ally Shiv Sena, the government on Tuesday indicated its inclination to incorporate changes sought in the Land Acquisition Bill that will replace the ordinance.

Both Houses of Parliament witnessed uproarious scenes on Tuesday. The entire Opposition staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha as the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amen-dment) Bill 2015 was introduced by rural development minister Birender Singh.

In the Rajya Sabha, the government faced flak over the issue from a united Opposition.

Social activist Anna Hazare, who began a protest against the Land Ordinance at Jantar Mantar from Monday, was on Tuesday joined by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was among a host of leaders cutting across party lines taking part in the agitation.

The leaders included the CPI’s Atul Anjan and MDMK’s Vaiko, who were among those sharing the dais with Mr Hazare.

Given the deadlock, the government has not ruled out the possibility of calling joint session of Parliament to get the contentious Bill passed.