Not opposing Land Bill for the sake of being opposition: Jairam Ramesh

Nagpur, Apr 17: Former environment minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh today said his party was not opposing the Land bill for the sake of being an opposition and that the issue was just not a political one.

He dismissed the claims of the NDA government regarding the consent and social impact assessment clauses for defence and national security projects in the new amended Land Bill.

"The Land Bill of 2013 which was adopted by Congress-led UPA government was comprehensive while the new amendments proposed by the BJP government were in no way beneficial to the farmers and indeed it is 'anti-farmer'," Ramesh told a press conference here.

He said the NDA government was lying on amendments and claimed that there was no consent clause, social impact assessment clause for defence and national security projects, which were given special status in the 2013 bill of the UPA.

The senior Congress leader said there was a condition in the 2013 Land Bill which mentioned if the acquired land is not used for the purpose within five year, it would be returned to the owner and claimed that the Modi government has deleted that particular condition.

He also criticised Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari for promoting land mafias through provision which says that one kilometre on either side of industrial corridor can be utilised by the private parties.

He said the Congress will hold a farmers' rally in Delhi on April 19 to expose the BJP and will take up the matter aggressively.

PTI