The Home Minister has held meetings with representatives of 27 farmer organisations, including today, and the discussions will continue tomorrow when the bill replacing the ordinance will be introduced in Lok Sabha.
Facing opposition pressure in Rajya Sabha, Government on Monday night indicated that it was open to look into concerns of farmers over the land acquisition ordinance, amidst expectations that provisions in the bill to replace it could be amended to accommodate critics.
This emerged after an informal meeting of BJP Parliamentary Board chaired by party chief Amit Shah and attended by senior ministers including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who had earlier held discussions with a number of farmer representatives.
"There are several issues in the minds of farmers. We have an inclination to ponder and go into these concerns," Union Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters after the over two-hour meeting at Rajnath Singh's residence.
The Home Minister has held meetings with representatives of 27 farmer organisations, including today, and the discussions will continue tomorrow when the bill replacing the ordinance will be introduced in Lok Sabha.
The government's indications of a rethinking on the controversial land bill appears to have come in the face of stiff opposition from political parties and its lack of numbers in the Rajya Sabha.
"In today's informal meeting of the Parliamentary Board, important issues before Parliament, including the Land bill were discussed. There have been various concerns raised by farmer representatives during their meetings with the Home Minister and we have taken note of them.
"On the concerns raised by farmer organisations and representatives, we feel there is a need to take note of them and we are ready to consider them," Kumar said.
Ananth Kumar said the party chief and the Home Minister will apprise the Prime Minister on the discussions held in today's meeting over the land ordinance issue.
He said the Prime Minister has himself said in the all-party meeting that BJP was ready for a thorough debate in Parliament on the land ordinance and accept suggestions.
Sources said that the top BJP leadership decided to hold a meeting of the Land Reforms Council that will soon be convened to take up concerns of landless labourers and farmers.
Earlier during the day Rajnath Singh had met representatives of Ekta Parishad which had decided to support social activist Anna Hazare's agitation against the land ordinance and had given this assurance to them.
Singh gave the activists of Ekta Parishad a patient hearing and told them that the government was ready to look into their genuine demands.
Among those who attended today's meeting include Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Thawar Chand Gehlot, J P Nadda and Ram Lal.
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