Sonia Gandhi misleading the country on Land Bill issue, says Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has hit back at Congress president Sonia Gandhi claiming she was 'misleading' the country on the land bill and blamed the erstwhile UPA government for keeping the country back for the past ten years.

Gadkari was replying to Gandhi's letter which called the Narendra Modi government's land bill antifarmer, anti-poor and an "unabashed display of half truths".

"Despite the regulation on land acquisition in place for the last year no land was acquired to build rural roads, irrigation, power facilities, schools, hospitals in the villages by the UPA," Gadkari wrote in his reply to the letter, justifying the bill as one that favours the villages, farmers, unemployed and labourers.

The minister also said that the UPA government acquired land for private companies, giving away coal fields for a pittance to private companies and causing huge loss to the exchequer.

"Why did the UPA exempt certain areas from social impact assessment? Do coal, mining activities not require a social impact assessment….We have not removed the social impact assessment but given the authority to the states over this matter."

He went on to add that the UPA's policies kept the farmers dependant on rains and government relief.

Gadkari also said that the UPA did not take the consent of its own chief ministers on its land acquisition policy. "We have made changes to the bill based on the suggestions of states on June 27, 2014," Gadkari wrote, adding that parties should be open to a debate on the issue.

Defending the land acquisitionbill Gadkari said that unlike the UPA, the Modi government has put a cap of 1 km for land acquisition near the industrial corridor.

He also accused the UPA government of bringing down the industrial employment by 70 lakh during its first five years.

"The money which should have been spent on development was instead used to garner votes through subsidy scheme," he said.The bill could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha. The Opposition has, adopted a firm stand on the issue and is demanding that the bill be referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha. The bill was cleared in Lok Sabha on March 11, since the government enjoys a majority in the lower house.

The government may promulgate the ordinance afresh. It will lapse on April 5.