*Anna slams Modi govt on land ordinance* *Holds a two- day dharna in Delhi against the Modi govt for doing injustice to farmers; Accuses the govt of being procorporate; Kejriwal to participate in the protest today*
NEW DELHI: Anna Hazare, who shook the UPA government three years ago with his anti- corruption crusade, was back in the national capital Monday on a two- day dharna in which Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will join him on Tuesday to protest against Modi government's land ordinance, accusing it of being pro- corporate. A " jail- bharo ( fill the jails)" movement will be launched from the Ramlila Ground here in three to four months at the end of a " padyatra" across the country, the 77- year- old Gandhian announced at Jantar Mantar, the reserved spot for agitations. Attacking the land ordinance, Hazare said BJP had promised " acche din" ( good days) to the people during the elections but good days had come only to corporates. " This is land- grab. Britishers used to do it. Today's government is worse than the British regime. Even Britishers did not met out so much injustice to farmers," he said. In December last year, the government had promulgated an ordinance making significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act including removal of consent clause for acquiring land for five areas of industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence use. Kejriwal, who had broken up with Hazare and formed his AAP, met the Gandhian after almost a gap two years and told him about his wish to participate in the dharna, probably a symbolic protest Tuesday afternoonThis is land- grab. Britishers used to do it. Today's government is worse than the British regime. Even Britishers did not met out so much injustice to farmers. While Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia parried questions whether Kejriwal would share the stage, Hazare had earlier said that AAP leaders were welcome to sit with the protesters. Earlier in his address at Jantar Mantar, Hazare said the 2013 Land Acquisition Act said unless 70 per cent of the villagers where the land has to be acquired give their consent, the land cannot be acquired. " But this government removed this provision. This has been done for the benefit of corporates. " Before the elections, the people were promised ' acche din' ( good days), they trusted ( the party) and voted for them. Today they are forcibly taking away the land from farmers. So ' acche din' are for the corporates not for the common man," Hazare said. He said BJP faced a drubbing in Delhi assembly elections as " they promised acche din, but it came only for corporate giants." " What I think is that you people ( BJP) gave only false promises before election, including depositing Rs 15 lakh in everybody's account by bringing back black money. This false promise triggered a wave. Forget Rs 15 lakh, forget even Rs 15,000, not even a single person could get Rs 15 in his account," said Hazare. Slamming the Centre for the " unjust and undemocratic" law, he said the land ordinance must be withdrawn immediately. " After Independence, this is for the first time, the farmers are facing so much of injustice under the current government after it brought the ordinance on the Land Acquisition," he said. *Land bill to be introduced in LS today* NEW DELHI: The bill to replace the contentious land acquisition ordinance will be introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday against which the opposition parties have serious reservations. Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh will introduce the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement ( Amendment) Bill, 2015. It will replace the ordinance promulgated by the government in December last year, which had brought changes in the earlier bill passed in 2013 by the UPA government. The government had promulgated the ordinance making significant changes in the Land Act including removal of consent clause for acquiring land for five areas – industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence. Home Minister Rajnath Singh is holding a discussion on it with senior ministers amid indication that the government could revisit some of the provisions in the ordinance promulgated. Meanwhile, setting in motion the process of replacing ordinances relating coal mines, e- rickshaws and FDI in insurance with fresh bills, the government has listed for the withdrawal of old bills in Rajya Sabha. Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal will move for withdrawal of these bills. The government is racing against time to convert the six ordinances into bills in the first part of the Budget session, which comes to an end on March 20.
