In a second reunion, Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, will join forces with Gandhian activist Anna Hazare, who kicked off a two-day protest against the Modi government's Land Ordinance on Monday in Delhi.
Delhi's Chief Minister Kejriwal will join Hazare on Tuesday at Jantar Mantar, where the 77-year-old activist is protesting against the changes made to the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. These changes, brought about by an emergency order in December, ease the land acquisition process in order to accelerate stalled projects worth billions of dollars, but dilute the consent needed from the concerned communities.
Kejriwal met Hazare on Monday evening, and touched his feet, NDTV reported. "Arvind and I will sit on dharna with Anna after the (Delhi assembly) session at 3 pm," Manish Sisodia told, his close aide, reporters after the 30 minute meeting.
.@ArvindKejriwal पैर छूकर अन्ना जी का आशीर्वाद लेते हुए.
इसको देखकर निशब्द हूँ!
अथाह प्रेम और सम्मान! pic.twitter.com/BcFpcVTIRo
— Ankit Lal (@ankitlal) February 23, 2015
The Modi government will introduce the Land Acquisition Bill in parliament on Tuesday, which will replace the ordinance, TOI reported.
The Land Acquisition, enacted under the Manmohan Singh government, requires 70 percent of the land-owning community to give consent to allow acquisition for public-private partnership projects. Eighty percent consent is required for private sector projects.
The changes made by the Bhartiya Janata Party-led government to the law relaxed the consent clause for acquisition of land in five areas—defence purposes, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and housing projects for the poor, industrial corridors, and infrastructure or social infrastructure projects, including those in public-private projects in which ownership of land will remain with the government.
Hazare, whose protest coincides with the commencement of the Budget Session, has described the movement against the Land Ordinance as the "second war of independence."
“How can you take away land without farmer’s consent? India is an agricultural country. The government must think about the farmers. The land ordinance is undemocratic,” Hazare said, the Indian Express reported.
“The government cannot be indifferent to the farmers’ interest. This is a government of the people of India and not of England or America. It is the people who have made the government,” he said.
Kejriwal and Hazare led the anti-corruption movement in 2011, but the two leaders parted aways after AAP's leader decided to take a political route by forming his own party in 2012.
While Hazare was joined by hundreds of protestors at Jantar Mantar on Monday, #AnnaReturns was the top Twitter trend. The social media platform was flooded with messages supporting as well as censuring the veteran activist's latest agitation.
These marginalized farmers have been thrown out of thier land, by nobody else but by their own government #AnnaReturns
— Sarfaraz (@Serfaraz) February 23, 2015
Acquiring land without consent of affected for private sector (working for profit) is called "crony capitalism" #AnnaReturns
— RAHUL SINGLA (@91RahulSingla) February 23, 2015
#AnnaReturns through media only. If media stops the show. Every thing is zero. But media want TRPs
— siva kumar (@Sivakumar_king) February 23, 2015
So Kejriwal will join #AnnaReturns on protest against Land Ordinance- and ths guy wants Cheap Power-Who will give land for Power Plant?
— Avinash (@avinashbhat01) February 23, 2015
#AnnaReturns is like #MummyReturns...This guy did not protest during NCP-COng rule for Maha farmers death, but now for farmers
— Ranga (@ranganaathan) February 23, 2015
#AnnaReturns Mr. Hazare. Why didn't we see you agitate even once against all the communal attacks? Corrupting Secularism not important?
— Arun Nambiar (@aruns_nambiar) February 23, 2015
Jholawallahs are anti development - they want poor to remain poor ! Beware ! #AnnaReturns
— Nivedita (@ExSecular) February 23, 2015
#GharWapsi of Anna ...congratulations media now u dnt need to run fr some news at least fr next few days #AnnaReturns
— Amitabh Chaudhary (@amitabh_aks) February 23, 2015
#GharWapsi of Anna ...congratulations media now u dnt need to run fr some news at least fr next few days #AnnaReturns
— Amitabh Chaudhary (@amitabh_aks) February 23, 2015
#AnnaReturns this budhau is nothing but a nuisance. Maharashtra witnessing his gimmicks for last 25 years. Sick of his fake andolans
— Malai Mama (@sachinapte73) February 20, 2015