Revolt against Land Acquisition Bill swells; LJP too joins opposition

New Delhi: Though the government has been indicating it is open to changes in the proposed Land Bill, trouble for it mounted further on Wednesday with yet another NDA ally, the Lok Janshakti Party led by Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, joining the group of those opposed to the law.

As part of its renewed strategy, the government decided to field transport minister Nitin Gadkari to defend the proposed law. Sources said this move was taken after rural development minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his Lok Sabha constituency had a majority of farmers, and it would not be feasible for him to put the government’s stand before the media at a time when farmers’ bodies are protesting against the bill. The move to field Mr Gadkari was after a Cabinet meeting on the issue that was presided over by Mr Modi in the morning.

A relentless Congress, which is opposing the bill in both Houses, hit the streets on Wednesday and accused the government of being “anti-farmer” and “pro-corporates”. Party leaders staged a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, but Congress president Sonia Gandhi and VP Rahul Gandhi were conspicuous by their absence.