Venkaiah Naidu rejects possibility of rethink on Land Bill

Stating that the NDA government would not do a rethink on the Land Acquisition Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday it is pro-development and in the interest of farmers and poor.

"There is no question of the NDA government doing any rethink on the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill. The government feels that this Bill is in interest of farmers, in interest of development and in interest of the poor people. There is no thinking of going back on Land Rehabilitation, Fair Compensation and Acquisition Act," the Union Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister told reporters in Hyderabad. 

He said it (Land Acquisition Amendment Bill) is in the larger interest of farmers. "They will be the biggest beneficiaries, unless you want to keep them away from development and exclude them from development. "How can you construct airports, national highways, rural roads, housing for poor, government hospitals, railway lines.

All this is not possible without land. Land is an essential requirement. So let us not mislead the farmers," Naidu said. The minister also criticised senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh over his remarks that the NDA government's Land Acquisition Bill was like 'Sanjeevani' for the revival of Congress party.

"It's a very meaningless and absurd comment. It shows the hollowness of the Congress party. (Is it that) 'Sanjeevini' means Congress is dead. So they are trying to take this as an excuse to revive their party," he asked.
"I would like to tell Jairam Ramesh and Congress that you brought Land Acquisition Act in 2013, which you are boasting now. You were washed out in (2014) general elections. You brought Food Security Act in 2013-14 and got washed out.

People are not going to be led by your gimmicks. They know the credibility of every party," he said. Inspite of our stand on various issues people voted for (Narendra) Modi and NDA, because the Congress does not have any credibility, he said adding, "So, let us not think of politicising this issue and the Land Rehabilitation, Fair Compensation and Acquisition Act," he said.