Revealed: Why NDA ally Akali Dal opposes land bill

The Akali Dal, an ally of the BJP, has written to the parliamentary committee opposing certain clauses in the land acquisition bill.

A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com speaks to Akali Dal MPs to find out why they oppose the controversial legislation.

The Land Acquisition Act that the Bharatiya Janata Party has been trying to push through has been referred to a standing committee of Parliament.

The BJP-led government has the required majority in the Lok Sabha, but it does not have the needed numbers in the Rajya Sabha to pass this controversial legislation.

The government has not been able to secure the cooperation of the Opposition for the bill. Now, even its allies have come out openly against it.

The Shiromani Akali Dal with whom the BJP shares power in Punjab has objected to certain clauses in the bill. The SAD is an important constituent of the National Democratic Alliance.

Sukdhev Singh Dhindsa, the Akali Dal's Rajya Sabha member, told Rediff.com, "Land is precious to farmers. There should be 100 per cent consent of farmers. You cannot just take his land away. The labourers working on the land should also be compensated. Social impact has to be studied. Secondly, land must be acquired by the government only for the public sector and not for private entities."

"It is a party decision to oppose certain clauses in the bill which we do not agree with," Sher Singh Ghubaiya, the Akali Dal's Lok Sabha member, told Rediff.com, adding, "In Punjab, land acquisition happens smoothly. The owners are willing as we pay them properly. We have given our suggestions in writing."

"The consent of farmers is very important. Have you heard of anyone opposing land acquisition in Punjab? Labourers are provided with work elsewhere. We train them for other work too. Farmers know how to cultivate rice and wheat. We have trained them to cultivate vegetables," Ghubaiya said.

Another Rajya Sabha MP from the party, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, told Rediff.com, "The consent of the farmers is very important, he should have the right to go to court if he is not happy with the acquisition. The market price has to be decided by both the seller and the buyer and he should be paid more than that. We have also to consider the fact that if he has no other land he will become a labourer. We have to find him another profession which gives him regular income."

Naresh Gujral, another Rajya Sabha member from the party, said, "We have given our suggestion to the parliamentary committee in writing, I am forwarding that letter to you."

• Read the Akali Dal letter

The salient points of the Akali Dal letter are that if the farmer does not want to sell his land he should be allowed to become a partner in its development.

He should not only be paid for the land, but also given an additional displacement allowance.

If he becomes a partner, then he should get back 50 per cent of the developed land as his share.

The states' land laws should be followed first and not the Centre's, as land is in the concurrent list.

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