Oppn walkout over Cong Govt's land policy

Hyderabad, Feb 28 (UNI) Members of the main opposition TDP, Left parties and the BJP staged a walkout in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly today even as All India Majili-e-Itihadul Muslim (AIMIM) protested against acquisition of 'assigned land from poor on the pretext of 'public purpose.' Replying to supplementary questions by TDP member Ch Rajeswara Rao, Revenue Minister D Prasada Rao announced that The Andhra Pradesh Assigned Land Act would be amended soon to allow sale of land assigned to the poor to another poor person.

Dissatisified with the Minister's reply, Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu led his party colleagues out of the House after alleging that the Congress Government was usurping the land of poor people and giving them to domestic and foreign companies.

The Government had given such assigned lands after taking over from the poor to star hotels, massage parlours and bars, he alleged.

CPI Floor leader Ch Venkata Reddy and CPI(M) Floor leader N Narasimaiah objected to the State Government taking over poor people's land in the name of public purpose and sought distribution of land to all landless poor before leading their party colleagues out of the House.

BJP Legislature Party leader G Kishen Reddy also walked out of the House in protest against the resumption of acquiring land from the poor by the Government.

AIMIM Legislator Ahmed Pasha Quadri registered his party's protest over non-allocation of land for Muslims.

Earlier, the Minister informed the House that 1,45,570.03 acres of land had been taken back for violation of the Act and 31,358 acres restored to original assignees. An extent of 84,052.5 acres were assigned to other landless poor and 30,158.54 acres of land reserviced for public purposes as per the Act.

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