Land bill: Centre may favour withdrawal of contentious amendments

Its decision to allow the executive measure to lapse is part of the larger plan as it is not keen to push for the changes in the UPA law, sources said.

However, Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh does not treat it as "defeat" for the government.

"It was never a matter of ego for us. We still believe that both the interests of farmers as well as the development should go hand in hand. The bill is still before the Parliamentary Committee. We will wait for its final report," Singh told PTI.

He said that the government has already agreed to accept whatever unanimous recommendations the committee gives.

"The committee unanimously recommended that they are not in favour of removing consent clause and SIA (social impact assessment). Moreover, our purpose that farmers whose land are acquired under the other 13 laws continue to get the benefits of compensation, relief and rehabilitation is served by this government order," the Union minister said.

He was asked why the government did not promulgate the ordinance for the fourth time to maintain "continuity" as it did on previous two occasions after bringing the 13 other central acts under the purview of land bill through an ordinance in December 2013.

"The prime consideration behind our bringing ordinance was to ensure the compensation and relief and rehabilitation provisions of the 2013 land Act are also applicable to farmers, whose land is acquired under the 13 other central Acts and that their interest must be protected.

"From January 1 till now, our efforts have been in that direction. The previous government did not do it. Hence we had to do it," Singh said when asked why the government brought the ordinance at the first place if it had to finally dump the changes like removal of consent clause and SIA that were brought through the ordinance last December.

Giving up the ordinance route, the government on Saturday issued an 'order' to include 13 central Acts like National Highway and Railways Acts to extend benefits to those whose land is acquired under the land law. 

The ordinance also made significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act including removal of consent clause for acquiring land for five areas - industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence.

With the quiet burial given to the executive measure and the Joint Committee of Parliament headed by BJP MP S S Ahluwalia already favouring bringing back consent and SIA clauses in land bill, the NDA is unlikely to bring them back even in Winter session when the panel will submit a report, the sources said.

They said the realisation that changes introduced in UPA's law will be difficult to implement for it had dawned on it by May when the issue saw a consolidation of <g data-gr-id="66">non</g>-BJP parties so much so that even allies of National Democratic Alliance joined the issue opposing the clauses of removal of consent clause of social impact survey through the ordinance.

"This is not a matter of life or death for me. And neither was it the agenda of my party or the government," the Prime Minister said in last week of May summing up the mood of the government.

With NDA allies like Shiv Sena, Akali Dal and Swabhimani Paksha as well as four RSS bodies opposing the changes in 2013 land bill, the realization within the government was complete that continuing with the changes won't be possible.

In August, the BJP members in the Parliamentary panel made a major climbdown and agreed to bring back the key provisions of UPA's land law including the ones on consent clause and social impact assessment and drop controversial amendments brought by the Narendra Modi government in December last year through an ordinance.

"They were not opposing. They were only putting forth their point of views. The government had from the very beginning maintained that it is open to <g data-gr-id="74">accept</g> any suggestion, which is in the interest of farmers. So where is the question of victory or defeat," Singh asked.

Attacking the Congress for not bringing these 13 laws under the purview of UPA land Act, Singh said he was surprised as to why the previous government did not do so.

Singh, who had formerly been in Congress, had on many occasions said the land bill was passed by the UPA in a hurry keeping in mind Lok Sabha polls under Rahul Gandhi's push.

"It is beyond my understanding these 13 acts were left out when 2013 land law was enacted. All these are central Acts and should have been brought under the ambit of the UPA land law then itself. Why it was not made applicable to them then," Singh said.