Opposition's march against Land Bill: As it happened

New Delhi: Opposition parties will on Tuesday hold a march against the contentious Land Acquisition Bill. Here are the live updates:

• This is democracy and they have the right to convey their opinion and meet the President. However, they must also respect the mandate of the people. This government is bringing legislation for further development of nation: Venkaiah Naidu

• We will find some way: Arun Jaitley.

• Amendment to land bill is entirely in favor of rural India,it seeks to provide housing to poor,seeks to create infrastructure. There is no reason why any political party with any commitment to development must oppose this bill: Arun Jaitley

• Congress has adopted obstructionism both as a strategy and now almost as an ideology: Arun Jaitley told ANI.

•   We have requested the President to intervene to protect interest of our farmers and to stress upon Modi govt not to go ahead with the amendments in Rajya Sabha: Sonia

•  All progressive, secular, democratic forces are determined to defeat Modi govt's design to promote divisions and social disharmony: Sonia

• We are here to oppose the Modi government's amendments to the right to fair compensation and transparency in land acquisition: Sonia

• We together met the President and presented him the memorandum against Modi government's Land Bill.
• All parties are together today, this is a historic march, hope Modi Govt is watching this march: TMC leader Derek O'Brien told ANI.
• Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also joins protest march against Land Bill.
• We will appeal President to create pressure on this government, so that this anti-farmers ordinance is not implemented: Senior Congress leader told ANI. 
• Sonia Gandhi will present a memorandum against the government's Land Bill to the President.
• Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with 10 Opposition parties leaders begin march towards President's House.
• We are public representatives and are going to meet to the President of India. Don’t think Delhi Police can put a stop to that, says Congress' Renuka Chowdhury.
• Will join the all-party protest against Land Bill at 5:00 pm, they can arrest me if they want, says Sitaram Yechury in Rajya Sabha.
• Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has denied that Opposition MPs have been barred from taking out a protest march against Land Acquisition Bill from Parliament till Rashtrapati Bhavan. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Naqvi said, “There is no ban on the march. None of the MPs have been barred from taking part in the march.”
• Security has been tightened in New Delhi area ahead of the Opposition's protest march against Land Bill. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said “whatever security arrangements are required will be done”. He added: “We will ensure that no violation of rules takes place.”
• Leaders of Congress and other Opposition parties are meeting the President today. We will request him to stop the Land Bill as it is anti-farmer, says Maharashtra Congress leader Ashok Chavan.
• Leaders of at least 10 parties had planned to march towards Rashtrapati Bhavan from Parliament and submit a memorandum against the new Land Bill to President Pranab Mukherjee.
• Leaders of the political parties have been allowed to proceed towards Rashtrapati Bhavan only in cars.
• The police have also installed barricades and deployed water canons in case Opposition parties proceed with the march, say sources.
• Delhi Police have denied permission to Opposition parties for their planned march against Land Acquisition Bill. The march has been planned from Parliament till Rashtrapati Bhavan. Police say Section 144 is in place in the area around Parliament and Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• We are all opposing this Bill. This Land Bill will not pass, it’s a dangerous Bill - Derek O’Brien of TMC
• We are not joining this protest because it is headed by Sonia Gandhi and this can lead to a political backlash in our state - Mayawati

• We are not against agenda of protest. But we not not joining this protest out of party's interest - Mayawati
• Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has announced that her party will not be a part of the all-party protest against Land Bill.
• This is an all-party protest. We stick on to the 2013 Land Bill and we want it to continue, says Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
• Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said that they have assured Dr Manmohan Singh that “as a party, we are wholeheartedly with him”. It may be recalled that Dr Singh was recently summoned as an accused in a coal blocks allocation scam case.

• All parties will march to Rashtrapati Bhavan and give a memorandum to the President, says Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.  
• Ahead of the Opposition parties' march against Land Bill, a delegation of leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party has called on former PM Manmohan Singh at his residence in the national capital. The delegation comprised NCP chief Sharad Pawar, general secretary Tariq Anwar and senior leader Majeed Memon, among others.

• In an attempt to corner the Narendra Modi government, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday will march with leaders of at least ten parties from Parliament House to Rashtrapati Bhavan to protest against the Land Acquisition Ordinance.

Along with the Congress, Janata Dal (United), Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI(M), DMK, INLD and some other parties will participate in the protest march.

The Opposition parties have united over the contentious bill and are trying their level best to project the Modi-led BJP as an anti-farmer party.

The leaders of the parties will submit a memorandum against the new land bill to President Pranab Mukherjee.

Sources in the Opposition said that Congress is playing a key role in the protest including the finalisation of the draft of the memorandum.

Former PM Manmohan Singh, JDS chief HD Devegowda, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja, Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi, SP's Ramgopal Yadav, DMK's Kanimozhi, INLD's Dushyant Chautala and RJD's Prem Chand Gupta are expected to participate in the march.

Sonia's attending the Opposition march tomorrow is significant as neither she nor Rahul Gandhi on sabbatical, was here today to lead the Congress protest against land acquisition at Jantar Mantar, which was a culmination of its padyatra from Bhatta Parsaul village that began four days back.

Manmohan Singh's attending the event is also significant as it comes days after the Congress chief led a march from party headquarters to the former Prime Minister's residence to express solidarity after Singh was summoned in a coal scam case.

Social activist Anna Hazare has appealed to the opposition parties to resist the government's attempts to pass the Bill in Rajya sabha when introduced in the Upper House.

Meanwhile, the Modi Government intends to have another round of discussion with Opposition on the Land Bill before moving it in Rajya Sabha as parties including Congress, the Left and some others have escalated the protest against the measure.

Earlier this month, the Lok Sabha passed The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 amid a walkout by opposition parties even as the government moved nine amendments to address concerns raised by farmers.

Shiv Sena, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, abstained during the voting.

The proposed legislation removes the need for obtaining consent of land-owners and carrying out social impact assessment (SIA) for acquiring land under certain categories -- precisely the provisions which had raised the heckles of critics.

The bill faces a tough call in the Rajya Sabha where the government is in minority.

The bill will replace an ordinance promulgated by the government in December last year which amended the earlier law passed by the Congress-led UPA in 2013.