Congress takes to battle against ordinances

Plans protests and rallies, teams up with rest of Oppn for a strategy.

Farmers’ protest against land acquisition ordinance in Noida. (File)

Anna Hazare is headed back to Jantar Mantar, and the Congress, target of his original agitations, is for once happy about it. The party Monday welcomed his decision to sit on a two-day protest against changes to the land acquisition Act. And though it was noncommittal on joining hands with him, the Congress — and other opposition parties — are readying to take the government on over changes to the land as well as the coal allocation Acts.

Anna’s dharna is not the real problem the Narendra Modi government will face in enforcing the revised land Act. Most opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha, where the government hasn’t got a majority, are opposed to “dilution” of the Act. And the BJP’s defeat in the Delhi elections has boosted the resolve of the opposition, united on this, to block the government in Parliament. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has reached out to the rest of the opposition, and sources say leaders of these parties would meet ahead of the Parliament session for a joint strategy, primarily on the land and coal ordinances.

The Congress has directed its state units to hold street protests against the ordinance-driven changes. Rahul Gandhi will address a kisan rally in Punjab next month. The Congress has also accused the government of diluting the MGNREGA, food security Act and forest rights Act.

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CPI leader D Raja has moved a notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking disapproval of the land ordinance. “We will oppose it,” he told The Indian Express. The CPM’s Sitaram Yechury said the ordinance is against the interests of farmers.

The Trinamool Congress and the JD(U), each locked in battle with the BJP in its stronghold of West Bengal or Bihar, too will target the government. “It (land) is a draconian bill. We were the only party in Parliament that asked for a division and pressed for amendments. We voted against the UPA Bill; UPA and BJP got together to pass it,” Trinamool Congress spokesman Derek O Brien said.

The JD(U) has decided to support Anna’s agitation. “We will oppose the amendment within Parliament and outside,” JD(U) leader K C Tyagi told The Indian Express, calling it a “pro-corporate legislation which is detrimental to the interests of the peasantry”. The JD(U) is in touch with Trinamool and Left leaders, he said.

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