Congress plans 'separate' agitation on Bill

Even as Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday refused to comment on reports that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s ‘introspection leave’ stemmed from him being angry with the party, the Congress decided to do a separate pro-farmer agitation at the Jantar Mantar on Wednesday.

On Monday, the Congress had made public that Rahul Gandhi had gone on leave for two few weeks to introspect on party affairs — a move that would keep away the Congress vice-president not only from the Budget session in Parliament but also from the party’s protests on land ordinance.

Wednesday’s sit-in at Jantar Mantar will see former rural development minister Jairam Ramesh; Congress’ chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Deepender Hooda; communication wing chief Ajay Maken and other leaders, including Digvijaya Singh and Salman Khurshid, taking part in the protests.

The party is keen to highlight its protests as distinct from that led by Anna Hazare, farmer organisations and  non-governmental organisation.

Congress’ Rajasthan unit chief Sachin Pilot will take up the cudgels for the party during the Assembly session in the state, due to kick-off on Wednesday.

Attacking the government on the land ordinance, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: “Can tyranny of the majority in the Lok Sabha be an excuse for breaking the national consensus?”

He alleged the intent of the government was to call a joint session of both the Houses to ‘bulldoze’ the amendments to the land Act.

Reiterating the Land Acquisition Act had been brought in 2013 after the widest possible consultations, he said the ordinance was non-negotiable and that the Congress would ‘walk the extra mile’ to ensure it was withdrawn and the provisions of United Progressive Alliance’s land Act restored.