NEW DELHI, Feb 25 � The Government today gave fresh signals of making changes in the controversial Land Bill to accommodate farmers� interest as yet another NDA constituent LJP joined others in expressing reservations over the provisions of the legislation, reports PTI.
The Opposition kept up its pressure by walking out of the Lok Sabha while Congress hit the streets in Delhi opposing the Land Bill and threatened to take the protests across the country.
After Shiv Sena, the LJSP headed by Ram Vilas Paswan, which is part of the Modi Government, today voiced concern over some of the provisions of the law and demanded more clarity from the Government.
Party MP Chirag Paswan said LJP was concerned about provisions like doing away with the consent of farmers for acquiring their land in the ordinance brought by the Modi Government.
�We have objections over some measures. There are questions about the need of doing away with farmers� consent. They also will have no right to move court,� he told reporters. With the Government facing pressure from within and outside, two senior ministers today said the Government was ready to deliberate on Opposition suggestions and go the extra mile to prevent any injustice to the farmers.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said in the Lok Sabha, �If there are some lacunae and drawbacks in the Land Acquisition Act, we are ready to deliberate on them. We will not let any injustice happen to the farmers. We are ready to go the extra mile to strengthen the hands of the farmers.�
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told the media that the Government is open to accepting good suggestions offered by other parties. �If people have some opinion on social impact assessment or consent clauses, we are willing to hear them,� he said.
Meanwhile, sources said five senior ministers have been asked to talk to parties across the spectrum to arrive at a consensus on changes that could be made in the Bill.
There were reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not in favour of changes, but there was no
confirmation of such a view.
A senior Minister said that changes, if any, could be not drastic in nature but cosmetic.
Akali Dal, another ally of BJP, said it had issues with provisions relating to social impact assessment in case of large tracts of land to be acquired and consent of the majority of farmers to be taken before acquisition.
Party�s Naresh Gujral said Akali Dal has made its views clear to the government that interests of farmers need to be taken while creation of jobs and development was also necessary.
The government has favourably reacted to Akali Dal suggestions, he said.
