In a climbdown, BJP has agreed to bring back the key provisions of UPA’s land law including the ones on consent clause and social impact assessment. The government has also agreed to drop the controversial amendments brought by the Narendra Modi government in December last year through an ordinance.
Sources said all the 11 BJP members in the Joint Committee of Parliament on land bill moved amendments on Monday seeking to bring back social impact assessment and consent clause.
With BJP retracting from its previous position, it is possible that the panel headed by BJP MP SS Ahluwalia will come out with a consensus report by August 7.
“It’s as good as our own Act of 2013,” a Congress member of the committee said after the meeting expressing total agreement with the amendments moved by the ruling BJP.
Trinamool Congress members Derek ‘O Brien and Kalyan Banerjee walked out of the meeting stating that the amendments were circulated this morning and they had little time to study.
Six of the amendments were discussed on Monday on which there was a consensus.
Out of the total 15 amendments in the NDA bill, nine were substantial in nature that have been opposed by Congress and a number of Opposition parties.
Out of these nine, six including the provisions dealing with consent clause, social impact assessment, replacing the term private company with private entity were discussed on Monday and a consensus has emerged on them, Congress members claimed.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)