The state unit of the Congress party is all set to counter the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party’s development plank by projecting the state government as anti-poor and anti-farmer. Taking the cue from Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s recent remarks at a rally in Dadri, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) will try to hit Chief Minister Mayawati on the issue of land acquisition. District-level party workers have been asked to garner support from the farmers on the issue. They have also been asked to hold protests demanding changes in the land acquisition policy of the state and to bring it at par with the Haryana government. At the state-level meeting of “Kisan Khetihar Majdoor” — a wing of the UPCC — that was convened on Saturday by state party president, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Mayawati was blamed for being partial to farmers’ woes. She asked the members of the group to organise mass level protest of farmers in their respective districts, followed by divisional level and state-level mass protest of farmers. “First in the name of Taj Expressway and then in the name of Ganga Expressway, the state government is making huge money by acting as a middleman between farmers and developers. They are acquiring land at a lowest possible price from farmers. Despite giving the lands to the developers at higher rates both the government, as well as the developers, are making huge profit. It is only the poor farmers who are at loss,” Joshi said. The dates of district-level protests will be decided within next two days. “The protest will take place simultaneously all across the sate,” Joshi added.The Congress party wants the land acquisition policy of UP to be reframed on the lines of Haryana government’s policy. “It is surprising to find that while the Haryana government is giving Rs 80 lakh per acre as compensation to the farmers, the UP government pays mere Rs 8 lakh per acre for acquiring land very close to Haryana,” Joshi said. She further said that the Haryana government, which is at present ruled by the Congress party, is paying annuity at the rate of Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 per annum for the period of 33 years depending upon the type of land. The farmers are also given a portion of a land to do some small business. “In case the land is being used to set up an industry, at least one member of the family is given job in that industry. All these things are missing in UP,” she said.Pointing towards the land acquisition in Mayawati’s native village Badalpur, a senior party leader said that none of the villagers were actually informed about the purpose of land acquisition. ‘While the land was actually being acquired to build some recreational centre, farmers were thinking that there will be some industry,” he said. Sonia to visit Rae Barelli Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be visiting her Lok Sabha constituency Rae Barelli on October 14 to lay the foundation stone of the Rail Coach factory in the Lalganj area of the district. She is scheduled to inspect health camps and health facilities provided by the Life-line train, which began on October 3.
