New Delhi, March 23 – Addressing the nation’s farmers in his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme, PM Modi said he was surprised by rumours against the Land Acquisition Bill and defended the legislation saying it was aimed at the welfare of farmers. “If states have objection to amendments in Land Acquisition Bill, they can continue with the old law,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister even said there were some “lacunae” in the Land Act of 2013 “as it was enacted in a hurry” and these are being addressed while protecting the interests of farmers and villages. Specifically referring to the consent clause issue, he said misinformation is being spread for “political reasons”.
During the 30-minute programme, he underlined that the new bill being brought by his government has the same compensation provisions as in the 2013 Act and emphatically rejected that the new measure was aimed at benefiting the corporates.
Slamming those opposing the bill, Modi said political leaders who were protesting against the bill have governed under the old law which has failed to benefit the farmers in the last 60 years. “With this Mann Ki Baat, the administration will get a strong message to resolve your issues,” Modi added.
The episode comes at a time when the BJP government is facing staunch criticism over introducing the controversial land ordinance. PM Modi has also invited citizens to share their ideas and thoughts on the subject in the Open Forum at MyGov.in.
-INDIA TODAY
