BJP targets Sonia in land acquisition row

With an eye on Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption, the BJP raked up the scam involved in land allocation for the Rajiv Gandhi Trust in Haryana, targeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi.  Sensing the popular mood against corruption and given Hazare’s concern for the woes of the farmers resulting from land acquisitions, the BJP fielded former party president Rajnath Singh to raise the issue inside the Lok Sabha.

The reference to Congress president Sonia Gandhi led to uproarious scenes, forcing the House to be adjourned twice.

Amid repeated interruptions from the Congress members and objection from Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal who said that the state subject could not be raised in Parliament, Rajnath Singh defended himself on the ground that since the Land Acquisition Act will be a Central legislation, the issue could be taken up in Parliament.

While demanding a judicial inquiry into the land acquisitions in Haryana, Rajnath Singh wanted the Centre to issue an advisory to all the states to keep in abeyance the land acquisition proceedings until the new Land Acquisition Bill is passed in Parliament.  “Land acquisitions are for public purpose, but it cannot be justified, if it is done to benefit private builders,” he said.  However, when asked whether the BJP Central leadership would issue an advisory to the BJP-ruled states, Rajnath Singh simply stated that there was no land violation in these states.

From the village common land pool, land was leased out to the Rajiv Gandhi Trust for a period of 30 years.  In another instance, in 2006, land was acquired for Rajiv Educational Society, which was later sold to the private builders. Reacting to the claim of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi that Haryana model of land acquisitions is the best model, Rajnath Singh asked,”Why then are the farmers angry in Haryana?”  Rajnath Singh said he had toured 12 villages in the area, including Ullahawas, and seen how the land was being acquired from farmers in an unjust and unfair manner.

During his visit to several villages in Haryana on August 5, delegations of farmers explained to him the modus operandi of the state government. Land acquisition proceedings are initiated under Section 4 and Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act.  Once the villagers know that the government is all set to acquire the land, then, in collusion with the builders lobby, the administration withdraws the acquisition proceedings.