President Pranab Mukherjee (C) arrives with PM Modi (2L), Vice President Hamid Ansari (R) and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan (2R) to address the joint session of Parliament (Agence France-Presse)
The BJP's parliamentary board, a group of top decision makers, is meeting this evening to discuss the party's strategy on the land acquisition ordinance, with a united opposition determined to stonewall it in Parliament, and activist Anna Hazare launching a farmers' protest.
Here are the latest updates
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not attend the meeting being held at the residence of home minister Rajnath Singh, also the party's senior-most "farmer leader." The Modi government has been accused of pushing an "anti-farmer" land ordinance.
Opposition parties say the ordinance is anti-farmer because its seeks to scrap a social impact assessment and the need for the consent of 70 per cent land owners before agricultural land is acquired.
"This is land grab by the government...This is what the Britishers used to do. To cater to industrialists, how can you betray farmers?" said activist Anna Hazare launching a two-day farmers' protest at the capital's Jantar Mantar.
The government has promised that it will heed all "meaningful suggestions". Parliamentary Affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu told NDTV, " If there is broad consensus we can make amendments...The purpose of the ordinance is speedy development and getting investments."
"In a democracy, there should be dialogue, discussion and positive outcome," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this morning, seeking the cooperation of all parties in ensuring that important legislative work gets done in the Budget session of Parliament which began today.
Minutes later in his address to both Houses of Parliament, President Pranab Mukherjee said the, "Government attaches paramount importance to safeguard the interest of farmers and families affected by land acquisition."
With crucial state elections due in the next one year, the BJP can ill-afford being branded anti-farmer and, sources said, could rethink some of the controversial clauses in the ordinance, but is averse to withdrawing the ordinance as it would send out a negative signal to Industry and investors.
The ordinance or emergency executive order has to be cleared by both Houses of Parliament within six weeks from today. The ruling BJP and its allies are in a minority in the Rajya Sabha and need the support of opposition parties to pass laws.
The Congress and parties like the Janata Dal United, the Left and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party or NCP have said they oppose the land ordinance in the present form.
The ordinance makes significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act. Restrictions on buying land, under the law championed by the Congress government, are among barriers holding up projects worth almost $300 billion or nearly Rs. 20 lakh crore in sectors such as rail, steel, mining and roads.
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