Land Bill row: PM Modi attacks ‘false claims’ in radio address

New Delhi: With the government under severe Opposition attack over the Land Acquisition Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday tried to reach out to farmers by explaining the finer points of the legislation and also the government’s stand.

He urged farmers not to be misled by “rumours and lies” and attacked the Opposition for trying to create confusion for “political reasons”.

In his monthly “Mann ki Baat” radio programme, Mr Modi said there were some “lacunae” in the Land Act of 2013 — brought during the earlier UPA government — as it was enacted in a hurry and these had been addressed in the new law.

Mr Modi declared that if any state still wanted to go by the previous law, they were free to do so.

“When we are trying to improve the law for the benefit of farmers, even then if some states do not agree, they are free not to implement it,” he said.

Directly reaching out to farmers over the land acquisition Bill, he said the interests of farmers and villages were being protected, and pointed to his statement in Parliament where he said the government was willing to consider any changes in the Bill if that would be beneficial for farmers.