Sonia rules out debate on land Bill

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 27

The Congress today told the government it would settle for nothing less than complete restoration of the 2013 land law which the UPA had brought and Parliament had passed.

Ruling out a debate on the Bill, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a letter to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, accused the Centre of being anti-farmer.

“Your proposition for a debate after the government has unilaterally imposed an anti-farmer law is a mockery of the tradition of building bipartisan consensus before introducing laws of national importance,” Sonia said in a six-page letter in Hindi to Gadkari’s who had on March 19 written to her seeking her support for the amended legislation.

“I was amazed at your letter’s unabashed display of half-truths and misrepresentations. I should not be surprised as this is typical of your Government when it runs out of logical and convincing arguments. Your arguments are designed to suggest … that those opposing your legislation are anti-farmer and anti-national…Regrettably, what you said is without foundation,” Sonia said adding that it was being widely recognized now that the BJP government was blatantly anti-farmer and anti-poor and was compromising the rights of poor to benefit private parties. Asking the PM to “rise above partisan politics” and restore the 2013 law, Sonia said law is not Congress’ legacy alone but a legacy of all parties including the BJP which passed it.

“That’s why likeminded parties, even some NDA constituents are opposed to your new bill,” she said describing the Congress’ position on the land bill as “non negotiable”.