Anna Hazare is back at Jantar Mantar taking on the central government. This time, he is protesting the NDA government’s ordinance amending the Land Acquisition Act passed by the UPA in 2013.
The ordinance, promulgated by the Modi-led government, makes it easier for industry and government to acquire land without some of the checks built into the earlier act.
Just like in 2011, Hazare’s anti-ordinance protest, could bring together groupings from across the political spectrum, from the RSS to the Left. The Congress, Mamata Bannerjee’s TMC, and farmers’ groups are staunchly opposed to both the substantive changes made to the law as well as the decision to circumvent Parliament through an ordinance.
Technically, the Modi Government is on safe ground. It has the numbers to pass the amendment in a joint session of parliament. Politically however, getting the diverse interests of farmers, industry and the opposition parties on board will be a challenge.
The issue has also split press pundits down the middle.
In the name of economic reforms and development, the government has taken a significant step backward in India’s march to land justice. An ordinance pushed through in this manner violates all democratic norms and is the shape of things to come in the Modi sarkar.
-Jairam Ramesh and Muhummad Kahan in The Hindu
The ordinance will enable an entire logjam of infrastructure projects to recommence; and provide a fillip to the moribund housing and construction sector. It will also help ease the pressures on much old PSU bank-lending, which is presently in the NPA column.
- Gautam Mukherjee, Niti Central
How will the Government deal with the protests? Will this issue polarize the country even further? The road ahead for the Government is clearly a difficult one.
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