Oppn stalls LS over land Bill

K V Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, APRIL 20

The Narendra Modi Government today got a taste of a collective knock from the opposition as the Lok Sabha resumed sitting for the second part of the Budget session and straight away came under attack on the problems of agrarian sector with the controversial Land Acquisition Bill being integral to it.

Hopes nurtured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of cooperation from the opposition that reflected in success achieved during first half were dashed as parties on the other side of the political divide closed ranks.

"The first part of the budget session witnessed unprecedented outcomes. Even in terms of productivity, it was successful after many years because of the cooperation of all parties. I thank all parties for that. I am confident that in the second part also the level of discussions will keep rising", the Prime Minister said in the morning.

The government appeared to be on the ropes as Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi threw punches at the government while taking part in a discussion on agrarian woes accusing it of abandoning the farmers to suffer both from the vagaries of weather and face threat of land being acquired against their wishes.

A glimpse of things to come could be seen when the Congress raised shrill voices protesting the controversial statement by Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Congress president Sonia Gandhi forcing him to express regret after a brief adjournment of the Question Hour.

Barely as the parliamentary managers breathed relief, members belonging to the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Left stormed into the well of the House protesting as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy introduced a Bill to replace the Land Acquisition Ordinance, re-promulgated earlier this month.

The severity of attack got accentuated as Rahul Gandhi charged the “suit-boot” government with favouring the rich leading to the Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu stand up in defence of the government.

Naidu reminded Rahul that the Congress was in power for five decades while the current government for barely 10 months and ran a list of measures taken to provide succour to the farmers affected by unseasonal rain and hailstorm. 

He later tweeted “The UPA reserved words for the poor and deeds for the rich” in an effort to redirect the fire.

Ironically, while the opposition remained unsparing in criticising the government, political niceties extended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, by enquiring her well-being from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was not lost.