Trinamool opposes ordinance amending Land Acquisition Act

The Trinamool Congress, which has vowed not to implement the proposed amendments in the Land Acquisition Act, took out rallies across West Bengal Wednesday, protesting the "black ordinance" approved by the Narendra Modi cabinet.

"The ordinance has been approved without any consultations with the chief ministers of the states. The ordinance has been cleared undemocratically and we will never allow this draconian law to be implemented in Bengal," Trinamool trade union leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said.

Taking out rallies in the city as well as in other districts of the state, including North 24-Parganas and Birbhum, the Trinamool leaders burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as copies of the "black ordinance".

Accusing the Modi government of "bulldozing" democracy, Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday asserted that her government will not implement the proposed amendments in the Land Acquisition Act.

"As long as I am alive, I will never allow any forcible acquisition of land. They will have to acquire land only on my dead body," Banerjee had said Tuesday, calling the people to burn the "black ordinance" that was approved by the Modi cabinet Monday.

The amendment to the Land Acquisition Act was approved to remove "procedural difficulties" in acquiring land for national projects and to "further strengthen" provisions concerning "affected families".

"Trinamool and Mamata Banerjee will never allow such a draconian law to be implemented in Bengal. We will continue to protest against the Centre's attack on democracy," Chattopadhyay, leading a rally in the city, said.