Congress launches website to counter Govt over land bill

NEW DELHI: Congress has launched a virtual platform to provide information on the land acquisition bill and counter the "false claims" of BJP government on the issue, a move designed to keep the pot boiling on the contentious law and tap the anger among landowners.

Launching a website on "Zameen Wapsi", both in Hindi and English, a day before the farmers' rally to protest against the Modi government's land bill, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "This is our attempt to reach the people. We invite people to seek clarifications or air grievances on land issues. The site would act as a grievance redress forum."

Senior AICC managers AK Antony and Digvijaya Singh along with chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the portal would counter the BJP "propaganda and lies" that the Centre's bill is farmer-friendly while the one brought by the Congress-led UPA regime in 2013 was against their interests.

"There are five big lies that PM Narendra Modi and union minister Nitin Gakdari are repeatedly mouthing about their bill - that it has introduced four-times compensation for land, brought 13 acquisition bills of other departments like railways under its ambit, introduced resettlement and rehabilitation, that UPA law was delaying defence and irrigation projects and that BJP's bill has introduced employment for land labourers," Ramesh said.

Singh said Congress accepts Gadkari's challenge for a debate on land bill, adding it would expose BJP's lies.

To be a regular feature with daily updates, the site is being positioned as a weapon to galvanise the resentment against the land bill. With Congress intensifying its campaign against the legislation over last two months, the launch of the site along with the farmers' rally indicates the party's hope that the issue has the potential to turn the rural populace against Modi regime in the long-term.

Stressing that Congress has always worked for farmers on land issues, Digvijaya Singh said Mahatma Gandhi led a movement in Champaran, Sardar Patel in Bardoli, while Nehru gave land rights to tillers, Indira Gandhi redistributed land among Dalits and tribals, and Rajiv Gandhi made amendments to the 1894 land acquisition Act. "Let BJP list what it has done to help the farmers on land issues all these years?" he asked.

http://ift.tt/1ouMPjr Bill,Congress launches website

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