Rahul Gandhi to lead protest against ‘dilution’ of UPA land Act

The Congress also made it clear it will oppose ordinances which 'dilute' the UPA’s policies and programmes.

rahul gandhi, Land acquisition act, Rahul AICC

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attends the party central election authority’s meeting at the AICC office in New Delhi on Friday. (Express Photo by Anil Sharma)

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will join a protest by his party at Jantar Mantar next week against “dilution” in the UPA government’s land acquisition Act, close on the heels of Anna Hazare’s protest on the issue at the same venue. The party does not want Hazare to “hijack” the issue and walk away with credit. The Congress also made it clear it will oppose ordinances which “dilute” the UPA’s policies and programmes.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will meet top leaders of the party, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and its leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Saturday to give shape to the party’s strategy in Parliament. “It will be bizarre for the government to be expecting support from the Congress after it has diluted UPA’s policies and programmes for the needy,” Sonia’s political secretary Ahmed Patel said.

A senior Congress leader said the party will work in tandem with the rest of the Opposition. “We cannot take a stand in isolation… We will work out with the rest of the parties,” he said.

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His comments came as the government’s floor managers said it was in touch with the opposition seeking cooperation in its legislative agenda. And the bill to replace the ordinance amending the UPA Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 would be high on the government agenda.

The Congress protest at Jantar Mantar is symbolic. A section of the Congress argues that it should back Hazare and wants Rahul to turn up at his protest, arguing that the BJP had used his shoulder to fire at the UPA government and it was pay back time. Another section feels the party should not let Hazare walk away with the issue as the “farmer-friendly” Act was one of the achievements of the Congress government.

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