RLD chief Ajit Singh, after meeting the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday, stated that he has been assured of the government bringing a bill to amend the Land Acquisition Act in the coming session of Parliament. Mr Singh led a delegation to the Prime Minister to apprise him of the issue of the farmers in western UP being up in arms against land acquisition by the UP government.
Mr Singh told reporters after the meeting that he briefed the Prime Minister about the violence in Greater Noida. The RLD chief also stated that he reminded Dr Singh about his commitment to bring in an amendment bill in Parliament.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Singh stated even Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, after meeting Dr Singh last year, had urged to pass an amendment bill. “The PM has assured that he would ask rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to hold consultations on the amendment bill after we pointed out many lacunae in the existing amendment bill of the government,” he stated.
He further stated that there are many loopholes in the government bill, which include definition of “public purpose” that can be misused and hence consultations are required.
Mr Singh said he has told the PM that party MP Jayant Chaudhary would move a private member bill on the same subject in the next session of Parliament. He said he apprised the PM about farmers’ land being taken over for corporates at throwaway prices in UP.
However, he added that even if the land amendment bill was passed, the problems faced by the farmers’ would not be solved if a government like the one headed by Ms Mayawati comes to power in any state.