Bill on Land passed in WB House amidst opposition walkout

Amidst opposition walkout, the West Bengal Land Acquisition Laws (Amendment and validation) Bill, 2011, was on Thursday passed unopposed in the state assembly in the absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also in-charge of the land department. "Despite request, the chief minister is deliberately avoiding her presence even at the time of presenting Bills of her own departments. We can't accept this and thus we walked out in protest", Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Surjya Kanta Mishra said at the assembly premises. "The Bill is a sensitive one and thus the opposition has every right to expect reply from the CM", the CPI(M) leader and state's former Land and Land Revenue Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah said.

"As per rule, the CM can authorise any of her ministers to present Bill of her department, but such a practice in all cases is unethical. Why the CM will not move the Bills of her departments and reply on it?" another CPI(M) leader and former Panchayat Minister Anisur Rahaman said.

"When the CM is in the city, why will she depute another minister on her behalf all the time. This can happen on occasions, but not always", Rahaman said. In the absence of the chief minister, state's Industry and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee moved the Bill, which was passed without much discussion as the opposition walked out earlier.The Bill was passed through with necessary amendment to facilitate clearing of long-pending cases of compensation to the land owners against acquisition of their land.