Besides Medha Patkar's coalition of activists, Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathna likely to support two-day agitation
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare is set to launch a two-day token agitation against the new land acquisition act on February 23 and 24. His agitation has received support from thousands of activists and farmers, including a rather unlikely ally: the Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathna (SSS), which is part of the mega alliance government in Maharashtra.
Raju Shetty, SSS president and Lok Sabha MP (Hatkanangale constituency in Kolhapur) told dna that he would meet Hazare on February 23 or 24 during Anna's agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Shetty said, "Since Anna has decided not to allow any political party or leader on his stage I will only meet him and say that our farmer's organisation supports his agitation."
Hazare is pressing for repeal of the ordinance issued by the union government on 29 December 2014, which made a crucial change in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act. The ordinance removed the consent clause from the Act. As per the ordinance, the consent of 80% of affected farmers would no longer be required to acquire land for a private or government project involving national security, defence, rural infrastructure, industrial corridors, and housing for the poor.
In a post on his blog, Hazare has criticised this amendment as anti-farmer and pro-corporate. Hazare has pointed out that the older land acquisition act (of 2013) made it necessary to take permission from farmers while acquiring land for any purpose. The old act also forbade the acquisition of irrigated land, Hazare wrote in his blog, adding that the old act also provided if the land recipients did not use the land for five years, the land had to be returned to the farmers who owned it.
Hazare, in his blog, has pointed out that the new law has removed these provisions, thus making the farmers vulnerable. Hazare's blog also says that around 70 to 80 social and farmers' organisations would participate in the two-day token agitation at Jantar Mantar on February 23 and 24. National Alliance of Peoples' Movements leader Medha Patkar, Magsaysay award winner and water activist Rajendra Singh from Alwar, former BJP ideologue Govindacharya, and Dr P V Rajgopal would also participate in this agitation.
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