President Clears Land Ordinance Reissued by Government
NEW DELHI : President Pranab Mukherjee has signed off on the land acquisition ordinance, which has been reissued under unusual circumstances after the government failed to pass it in Parliament.
The ordinance, or emergency executive order, seeks to make land purchase easier for industry and to develop roads, ports and power stations, among other infrastructure projects.
To reissue it, the government cut short the budget session in one house of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha.The Constitution says the house where the bill is pending has to be prorogued, or cut short, for the government to issue an ordinance again.
Parliament is currently on a month-long recess after the Budget session that started on February 23. The ordinance will now be presented in both houses of Parliament again.
The ordinance now includes nine changes made when a bill to replace it was passed in the Lok Sabha last month. With no possibility of the bill making it through the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling BJP and its allies are in a minority, the government had no option but to issue the ordinance again.
In December, President Pranab Mukherjee had asked three union ministers to explain the urgency on the land ordinance.A united opposition led by the Congress has termed the ordinance anti-farmer and vowed not to let it pass. To raise the pitch, the Congress has planned a massive farmer’s rally on April 19, which is likely to see an appearance by Rahul Gandhi, who has been on a sabbatical from his party.
