Delhi: Rural Development Minister Birender Sing said on Thursday that NDA government would re-promulgate the Land Acquisition Ordinance for the third time.
“When House would not be in session that ordinance (land acquisition) will lapse after six weeks. If we are to issue another fresh ordinance (land acquisition) for its continuation, it would be,” he said, as per ANI.
Faced with stiff resistance from Opposition and allies, government was forced to refer the controversial Land Acquisition Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament on May 12 after Rahul Gandhi led the attack on it.
The BJP-led NDA government agreed to refer it to the 30-member committee after allies Shiv Sena and Akali Dal joined Opposition in Lok Sabha in opposing it.
The Joint Committee of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will have to submit its report on the first day of Monsoon session on the bill which has already been passed by the Lower House.
The House on Tuesday saw acrimonious scenes and clashes during a short debate on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement (second) Amendment Bill, which is aimed at altering the Act brought by UPA in 2013.
Replying to the debate Birender Singh had rejected the Opposition charge that the bill is against the interests of farmers but maintained that development has to be undertaken as well.
"The bill is in favour of farmers. We have to strengthen both the wheels - farmers and industry -- to develop the country," he had said, as per PTI.
Earlier in the day, a combative Congress vice president had led the Opposition attack on the government and vowed to oppose it inside and outside Parliament.
The debate saw Opposition parties like the Congress, AIADMK, TMC, BJD and the Left oppose the measure. They were joined by ruling NDA partner Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant and SAD's R S Brahmpura who asked the government to send it to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) for detailed deliberations on its provisions.
The government had in December last brought an ordinance to amend the 2013 land law. It brought a bill in Parliament to replace the ordinance but it could not be passed by Rajya Sabha in the first part of the Budget session.
To facilitate re-promulgation of the ordinance, the government had prorogued Rajya Sabha, curtailing its Budget session after the first part ended on April 20.
(With PTI inputs)
