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Land Acquisition Bill: Congress Stages Protest; Calls Govt 'Anti-Farmer'

Land Acquisition Bill: Congress Stages Protest; Calls Govt 'Anti-Farmer'
NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 25: Congress leader Raj Babbar addressing the gathering during a protest against a proposed land acquisition ordinance at Jantar Mantar on February 25, 2015 in New Delhi, India. The Congress Party starts agitation against Acquisition Ordinance and alleging governments move is anti-farmers. It was Congress led UPA which passed the The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 replacing a 120 year old Land Acquisition Act, 1894. (Photo by Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 25: Congress leader Raj Babbar addressing the gathering during a protest against a proposed land acquisition ordinance at Jantar Mantar on February 25, 2015 in New Delhi, India. The Congress Party starts agitation against Acquisition Ordinance and alleging governments move is anti-farmers. It was Congress led UPA which passed the The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 replacing a 120 year old Land Acquisition Act, 1894. (Photo by Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI — Terming the BJP-led Central government 'anti-farmer', Congress today staged a protest here against the Land Acquisition bill.

Raising slogans of 'Kisan Virodhi Narendra Modi (farmers' opponent Modi)' against the Prime Minister, party workers led by senior leaders Jairam Ramesh, Raj Babbar, Randeep Surjewala and Youth Congress's Amrinder Singh Raja Brar, took out a protest march at Jantar Mantar here.

The foot march began on Friday from Bhatta-Parsaul village in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida district and reached Rajghat here last night.

After being passed in Lok Sabha, the Bill for amendments proposed to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, will be presented in Rajya Sabha for approval.

"(Our) fight will go on, both in the Parliament and outside against the amendments. We will keep fighting against it," Ramesh told reporters here.

Babbar expressed surprise at the government's move to "do away" with the consent clause in the bill.

"We are completely against the amendments. In (proposed) law, farmers don't have the right to take decision regarding their own land. Even if I take a mere pen from you, I will ask you. Then how come, a farmer, for whom land is his mother, is being asked to hand it over to someone else (without consent)?" he questioned.

Surjewala said the agitation launched by Congress along with farmers will "unmask the Modi-led Centre's 'anti-farmer' stand".

"This is India Youth Congress's (IYC) rally from Bhatta-Parsaul to Parliament. Modi's black law will disappear. BJP's anti-farmer face will be unmasked. Both the Congress and farmers will win," he said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.