Land bill 'anti-farmers', classify the land: CPI(M)

PATHANKOT: Punjab CPI(M) today termed as anti-farmers the land acquisition Bill and demanded the Centre to classify the land to ensure that prime agriculture land was not transferred to industrialists.

On the second day of the party's state unit conference at Malikpur here, the CPI(M) staged protest against the Bill and also burnt its effigy.

CPI(M) leaders, Gian Singh and Mangat Ram Pasla described the amendments to the bill as anti-farmer and said the party would launch a massive agitation against the new land acquisition law.

They also pointed out that the agricultural land has not been mapped post independence, which was causing seriously hurting the farmers.

They said "no guns or cannons" would stop the protests against the land Bill.

"What would happen if people all over the country erupt in protest? Will you put all the jails open," said CPI(M) leader and Secretary of Punjab unit, Mangat Ram Pasla.

Pasla said while the Act, enacted by previous government, the Bill had a provision of taking consent of 80 per cent of affected farmers before acquisition for private players, the present government had ignored this clause in the new Bill.