Government tables Land Ordinance; faces uphill task with united Opposition

NEW DELHI: As the second part of Budget session goes underway, the government is hoping to get the Land Bill passed. The Land Bill issue is expected to generate much heat in Lok Sabha with the government tabling the new land ordinance on the very first day of the second half of Budget session.

Ahead of the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the cooperation of all parties in the first half and hoped that the same would continue.

According to the schedule of business, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy will lay on the table a copy of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance, promulgated by the President on April 3 under Article 123(2)(a) of Constitution.

Earlier in the day, Nitin Gadkari told ET Now that the NDA government will ensure the passage of the bill. "Land Bill is needed to boost rural economy. We have already incorporated nine amendments in Land Bill to accommodate Opposition demands."

Since Parliament went into a recess on March 20, the government has made all efforts to beat the growing perception that the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2015 is against the interest of farmers and small land-holders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally led this campaign when he strongly contested the Opposition view in his `Man ki Baat' address on radio.

BJP MPs and Union ministers, led by FM Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, have used every opportunity to rubbish the Congress charge that the proposed legislation was anti-poor.

These ministers have also been in touch with various Opposition parties to convince them to support the Bill in the Rajya Sabha where the government is in a minority.

Even with all its constituents supporting the bill, the NDA government still falls short of the half-way mark in the Upper House.

Meanwhile, eleven months after crashing to an ignominious defeat in the general election, Rahul and Sonia Gandhi sought to rally the Congress party , championing the cause of farmers and channelling their anger against the Narendra Modi government over proposed changes in the land acquisition law, accusing it of crony capitalism.

(With inputs from ET Bureau)