Land Acquisition Ordinance 'atrocious and against the people': CPI

Senior Communist Party India (CPI) leaders on Monday slammed the Land Acquisition Ordinance as atrocious and against the people of the country, adding that the government wants to snatch farmers' land and give it to international companies.

"The Left parties have been fighting against the Ordinance on Land Acquisition at two levels. At Parliament level, we have already given notices demanding the disapproval of the Ordinance. Outside Parliament, we have called upon all our 'kisan' organization, all those whose livelihood depends upon agriculture to march and protest on the streets," said CPI National Secretary D Raja.

"It is an atrocious Ordinance, anti-farmer Ordinance, anti-people Ordinance," he added.

Meanwhile, CPI leader Atul Anjan appealed to the rest of the opposition parties to join hands in rejecting the Ordinance.

"BJP wants to snatch the lands of farmers and give it to the international companies; they are dishonest and in support of the land Mafias. I would appeal to Congress, CPI, SP, JD-U, TDP, DMK to reject this Ordinance, this is not a fight of destroying the Ordinance; this is a fight for the freedom of farmers," said Anjan.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government was well within its rights to take the Ordinance route amidst an uproar in the Rajya Sabha over the Land Acquisition Bill.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge termed the Land Acquisition Bill as 'anti-farmer' and added that his party will counter it tooth and nail by taking support from all the opposition parties.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators also staged a protest against the Land Acquisition Bill outside the Parliament.