BJP turns 'pro-farmer' during cross-party talks on land reform as Sushma brands current laws 'exploitative'



BJP leader Sushma Swaraj has made some of the strongest 'pro-farmer' statements of her party, attempting to steal the 'pro-poor' thunder from Rahul Gandhiand Congress



Leader of the BJP opposition Sushma Swaraj has branded current agricultural laws "exploitative" and has presented a list of "pro-farmer" amendments to the land reform Bill being drafted by the government.

Speaking at a cross-party meeting on The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Relief and Rehabilitation Bill 2013, Sushma criticised the government for neglecting the needs of farmers and argued for greater redistribution of benefits in land sales and stronger laws to ensure compensation for those needing resettlement after land is acquired for development.

Swaraj was pointed as she articulated her party's position on the contentious legislation, providing a list of 12 suggestions to Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh who has been piloting The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Relief and Rehabilitation Bill 2013.



Swaraj has supported Ramesh's contention that there needs to be provision for retrospective application of the Bill, especially when it comes to the rehabilitation and resettlement clauses - an aspect that has worried industry.



Seeking a constituency among farmers by assuring higher compensation, the BJP leader argued in the list of suggestions given by her that "a portion of benefits accrued due to the development on the acquired land should be shared with the farmers and other dependents on an ongoing basis".



Criticising the government as well as industry, the list of suggestions provided by Swaraj said that there should be proper categorisation of the purpose of the acquisition as the terms are often changed to enable industries to increase their profits.

The BJP has also urged the government to amend laws in which the statutory requirements for land are unreasonably high, in order to save land.



"Farmers aren't good at money management. They splurge on SUVs after selling their land and lose all their money in a few years time. The women of their house are then forced to do odd jobs to make ends meet," Swaraj is supposed to have narrated. Her suggestions went down well with Ramesh who described them as "constructive".

For the first time, the BJP is trying to jump on the land acquisition bandwagon, clearly seeking to emulate the success of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's agitations at Bhatta Parsaul in Uttar Pradesh and Niyamgiri in Orissa.



Land grab: Swaraj's recommendations are thought to bear the mark of BJP chief Rajnath Singh (left) who is seeking to win favour with farming communities during the land reform talks piloted by rural development minister Jairam ramesh (right)



In the process, Swaraj showed up in sharp contrast to the unabashedly pro-big business policies of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.



Swaraj also suggested that land could be leased to developers instead of being sold, so that the ownership of the land remains with the original land-holder.



"Instead of acquisition, it would be better to lease the land to the developer as the land will remain with the farmer and would provide him with regular annual income. If the land is not utilised for the purpose for which it was leased, it could be returned to the farmer," she said.



The stand taken by her bore the clear stamp of party president Rajnath Singh, who has been a former agriculture minister.

"The land acquisition Bill of 1894 is exploitative and needs to be scrapped. The draft presented by the government needs some changes to make it more pro-farmer. We will bring these matters up in Parliament," said Rajnath Singh, who is expected to lead the BJP's response to the Bill in Parliament.

Ramesh, Swaraj as well as Kamal Nath expressed their commitment to passing the Bill as early as possible.



The BJP leader's remarks at the all party meet were an extension of what she had said during her Kisan Mazdoor Aakrosh rally at Narela in North Delhi, when she made a similar promise.



"The BJP will fix land acquisition rates in Delhi at four times the current market value," she had said.

Besides being an attempt to rob Gandhi of his pro-farmer plank, Swaraj's pro-farmer and seemingly anti-industry suggestions can also be seen as a means to set herself apart from the right-wing politics of Narendra Modi.



According to many in the BJP, Modi's closest competitor for the party's PM candidate is Swaraj. In fact, one of her suggestions, perhaps inadvertently, supports the demands of one of Modi's most vocal opponents in Gujarat: Kanu Kalsaria.



Swaraj demanded that the Social Impact Assessment Study and the Environmental Impact Assessment Study should involve the local MP, MLA and even the NGOs who work in the area.



Kalsaria, then MLA of Mahuva in Gujarat, had criticised the Modi government for the acquiring land in his area for Nirma's cement plant.



Kalsaria took his agitation to all of Gujarat to protest against the "wrongful acquisition" of land by the state government.

The BJP, along with the AIADMK and the CPI (M) have given their suggestions to the government. The rest have been asked to give them by April 15. The next All Party Meeting will be on April 18.



