Congress not to relent on land bill: Jairam Ramesh

Former union minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Tuesday that his party would continue to oppose the Land Acquisition Bill, pushed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the centre.

Talking to reporters here, Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the nation over the bill. Terming the ongoing tussle between the Congress and the ruling BJP over the bill as a "Mahabharat II", Ramesh said that while the epic battle of Mahabharat was also fought for land, this too will be done for the same reason.

Terming the amendments moved by the BJP government on the bill as an eyewash, Ramesh said, the Bill was anti-farmer and pro-industrialists.

Pointing out five basic differences between the 2013 Land Acquisition Bill promulgated by the UPA II, the Congress leader said the UPA's bill favoured farmers while the BJP's bill is against them.