Re-promulgated land ordinance tabled in Lok Sabha amid protests

The opposition parties, led by the Congress, on Monday accused the NDA of trying to get the controversial land acquisition bill passed in parliament through the "backdoor" as the government tabled the re-promulgated ordinance in the Lok Sabha.

Protests against the bill began as soon as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy tabled the land ordinance which was re-promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee on April 3.

Leading the opposition charge, Congress leader of the house Mallikarjun Kharge said: "We feel that this ordinance was not required as the government has been trying to impose this on the people again and again and specially prorogued the Rajya Sabha as they wanted to re-promulgate it (the ordinance)."

"You (government) want to pass the bill through backdoor," Kharge said raising the matter during zero hour.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Badopadhyay said his party was completely against the bill.

Both Congress and Trinamool Congress walked out of the house in protest against the bill.

Earlier, as soon as the ordinance was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy, opposition parties started chanting slogans accusing the government of being "anti-farmer".

Opposition members trooped near the speaker's podium, asking the government to take back the land ordinance.

Rudy told the house that tabling the ordinance in the Lok Sabha was a constitutional process and the opposition was raising the issue for political gains.

The opposition repeatedly tried to disrupt the house proceedings over the issue. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was making a statement on Yemen, had to complete her speech amid a ruckus.

Soon after this, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the house for more than an hour.

The ordinance was re-promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee on April 3. It had earlier been promulgated in December last year.