Youth Congress to gherao Parliament on March 16 over Land Bill

CHANDIGARH: Indian Youth Congress today said it will gherao the Parliament on March 16 to protest against the "dilution of the pro-farmer clauses" in the Land Bill that is being amended by the BJP government in the Centre.

IYC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring today charged that the Land Acquisition Act enacted by the previous UPA government in 2013 was pro-farmer and had been adopted after taking all aspects into consideration.

"The present government was doing away with these provisions to appease the corporate sector," he said.

Lashing out at Akali Dal, BJP's ally in Punjab, Warring charged that the party was playing a double role as Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal was part of the lobbying which was going on to get the amendments to the Act adopted as the BJP lacked adequate numbers in the Rajya Sabha.

He said in case the Akali Dal was sincere, the party must adopt a resolution in the forthcoming budget session of the Assembly opposing amendments and incorporating all the suggestions its core committee had made earlier this week.

He made it clear that his party would move this resolution in the Assembly in case the Akali Dal failed to do so.

Warring, a sitting Congress MLA from Gidderbaha Assembly, said the party would raise other issues concerning the people in the state during the session.

He added that the new Punjab Congress President would be announced after the return of party vice president Rahul Gandhi and said the decision in this regard was final.

He also called upon all party leaders to extend total cooperation to who-so-ever was entrusted with this responsibility.

Reports from Punjab had it that the roller-coaster tenure of Bajwa as PCC chief could soon be over with the party set to replace him with Lal Singh, an associate of former chief minister Amarinder Singh.

On the allegations levelled against political leaders about their involvement in drug racket, he said these should be thoroughly investigated but it was not proper to paint a person as tainted merely on hearsay.