RSS-affiliated unions of farmers and labourers have strongly objected to the Modi government's ordinance to amend the Land Acquisition Act.

New Delhi: Now, it’s no more the Left or non-BJP parties. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated unions of farmers and labourers – Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) - have strongly objected to the Centre’s ordinance to amend the Land Acquisition Act. Both have said that it would have a damaging impact on Indian farmers.

Registering its protest, the Right-wing Indian farmers’ union, BKS has written to the central government and the Members of Parliament to desist from amending the Act. “We’ve written to the central government not to amend the Land Acquisition Act on the lines mentioned in the ordinance. We’ve also written to the parliamentarians to raise this issue in Parliament and not to support it,” BKS general secretary Prabhakar Kelkar told Firstpost.

“We’ve strongly opposed to the removal of the social impact assessment of industrial corridors. We fail to understand why government should procure land from farmers for multi-specialty hospitals and public schools. There’s 52.5 percent agricultural land and the rest is barren land. The government should make land bank out of hectares of barren land available in every state. Why fertile farm land, with enriched black soil should be given to industries?” questioned Kelkar.

The other RSS-affiliated union BMS has also opposed the ordinance. Prior to this, the BMS, the largest central trade union in the country, had raised sharp objection to the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Ordinance 2014 on the issues of privatisation of coal mining, dilution of shareholding in profit-making public sector undertakings (PSUs), e-auctioning of mines and payment to contractual workers functioning as permanent workers at par with the latter.

“It’s clearly anti-farmer ordinance. We along with BKS and Swadeshi Jagran Manch have opposed this move,” said All-India vice president of BMS, Dr BK Rai.

The NDA government after coming to power at the Centre in 2014, promulgated an ordinance making significant changes in the ‘Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013’, which was brought in by the UPA government including removal of consent clause for acquiring land in five areas -- industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence.

“I’m not against change in land use, because the government has to take measures for development. But the measures have to be just and fair, unlike in the case of this Land Acquisition ordinance, which is deeply anti-farmer,” remarked economist Prof Jayati Ghosh.

Opposing the ordinance, 23 all-India farmers’ organisations from 10 states will stage a protest demonstration led by anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on 23 February. Hazare will flag-off a farmers’ Padyatra-rally from Palwal district of Haryana on 20 February, which will culminate at Jantar Mantar.

Sharply attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “thinking about industrialists but not farmers and the poor”, Hazare had recently said, “Achche din (good days) has come only for industrialists since he assumed office.”

Political parties have also rallied behind the farmers and will join the protest on 24 February.

“Everyone should unite against this conspiracy. The ordinance is an attempt to totally sell out to corporates. This is the worst kind of an amendment, where land will be snatched away from farmers for making factories and malls. But, there should be no debate on whether this mass movement be a political or non-political one. Keeping any political party out of this movement is a bigger politics,” said Badal Saroj, central committee member of CPI (M).

But, will Bharatiya Kisan Sangh join hands with Anna Hazare’s demonstration on 23 February?

“Till now, we haven’t got any intimation on this. But, since we’re morally supporting the cause, we’ll do it ourselves,” added Kelkar.