BJD to oppose land Bill

The BJD would oppose the land acquisition Bill proposed to be re-tabled during the monsoon session of Parliament unless its demand for inclusion of land-owners as stakeholders in any proposed industrial project is accepted. After a parliamentary board meeting at the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, leader of the party in Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahtab said the party would support the Bill only if the proposal to make those who lost land partners in projects is accepted.

Mahtab said the party would also insist on making it mandatory for profit making projects to give share to gram panchayats. The party in its election manifesto during the 2014 assembly polls had promised as much. However, the BJD did not make it clear if its members would vote against the Bill. In March, when the Bill was presented in Lok Sabha, its MPs had walked out. The BJD now has 20 Lok Sabha and seven Rajya Sabha members.