Land Bill: Senior BJP ministers rework strategy to counter Opposition

The session is likely to witness sharp exchanges between the treasury and the Opposition, especially on the re-promulgated Land Bill.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad attended the meeting at Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence, sources said. The Home Minister chaired the 90-minute meeting.

Facing challenges in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling NDA government does not have the majority, it had to re-promulgate the Land Ordinance as opposition parties were against the bill, terming it “anti-farmers”. It was passed in the Lok Sabha in the first half of the Budget session.

Meanwhile, the ministers also decided to provide all assistance to the Chhattisgarh government to deal with the situation arising out of the latest in the series of left extremist attacks on security forces. The ministers discussed steps needed to be taken to check Maoist activities, sources said. Seven policemen were killed, while 11 others were injured in the insurgency-hit Sukma district on Saturday.