New Delhi:
The Joint Parliamentary Panel examining the NDA's Land Acquisition Bill witnessed an intense debate on Monday between Opposition lawmakers and those belonging to the NDA.
Members of the Congress and the Trinamool had questioned the relevance of the parliamentary committee once Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that his government would accept suggestions to benefit farmers and allowed the ordinance - that had diluted the consent clause and done away with social impact assessment - to lapse on August 31.
The PM had made this announcement in his Mann ki Baat programme. So, the Trinamool and Congress members on the panel argued that there was no need for them to further examine the NDA's bill that is pending in the Rajya Sabha.
Congress lawmaker Rajiv Satav, in fact, submitted a copy of the transcript of the Mann ki Baat programme to the Chairman of the panel, BJP's SS Ahluwalia.
However, Opposition members were told that Parliament was supreme and there was no official word from the Lok Sabha Speaker's office who had constituted the panel.
At this point, Opposition members on the panel said the PM should make a statement on the Land bill on the floor of Parliament.
"We want him to ensure that his Mann ki Baat becomes Floor ki Baat," said one of the Opposition members in the parliamentary panel.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh too confirmed that his party would want the government to make a statement on the issue in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament.
Sources say members of the Trinamool had gone a step further and suggested that the Prime Minister should depose before the Committee. However, the suggestion was promptly shot down by the BJP lawmakers and those belonging to its ally, the Shiv Sena.
With the winter session of Parliament starting in the next three days, the Land Acquisition Bill could once again become a potential flash point between Opposition and the treasury benches.