New Delhi: Congress stages protest against land bill

New Delhi: Terming the BJP-led Central government 'anti-farmer', Congress on Monday staged a protest against the Land Acquisition bill.

Raising slogans of 'Kisan Virodhi Narendra Modi' (farmers' opponent Modi) against the Prime Minister, party workers led by senior leaders Jairam Ramesh, Raj Babbar, Randeep Surjewala and Youth Congress's Amrinder Singh Raja Brar, took out a protest march at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The foot march began on Friday from Bhatta-Parsaul village in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida district and reached Rajghat on Sunday night.

After being passed in Lok Sabha, the Bill for amendments proposed to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, will be presented in Rajya Sabha for approval. "(Our) fight will go on, both in the Parliament and outside against the amendments. We will keep fighting against it," Ramesh told reporters.

Babbar expressed surprise at the government's move to 'do away' with the consent clause in the bill. "We are completely against the amendments. In the proposed law, farmers don't have the right to take decision regarding their own land. Even if I take a mere pen from you, I will ask you. Then how come, a farmer, for whom land is his mother, is being asked to hand it over to someone else without consent?" he questioned.

Surjewala said the agitation launched by Congress along with farmers will 'unmask' the Modi-led Centre's 'anti-farmer' stand. This is India Youth Congress's (IYC) rally from Bhatta-Parsaul to Parliament. Modi's black law will disappear. BJP's anti-farmer face will be unmasked. Both the Congress and farmers will win," he said.