Jairam faults Jharkhand over land takeover

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday said that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was not well-informed about the land acquisition bill that parliamdnt passed earlier this month.

"It seems Hemant Soren is half-informed or not well-informed about the land acquisition bill" Ramesh told reporters here Thursday. "Hemant Soren's party (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) is a United Progressive Alliance partner and he should not cross the 'lakshman rekha' ."

Soren had said Sunday the land acquisition bill did not favour the state's tribals and indigenous people. He had also said that the state govt would formulate it's own land acquisition bill.

"Hemant Soren seems to be not informed that the land acquisition bill replaces the 1894 land acquisition bill. Gram sabha's permission is a must to acquire land in tribal dominated areas," said Ramesh.

He said, "The bill is under concurrent law and state government can formulate its own policy".