Parliamentary panel to submit land Bill report only in winter session

Parties differ over retrospective clause and return of unutilised land

With differences in the Rajya Sabha committee on the land acquisition Bill over the retrospective clause and the return of unutilised lots to the owners, Chairman S S Ahluwalia, from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), decided to seek an extension till the coming winter session for the submission of the report.

The committee was slated to table its report on Tuesday. Outnumbered by the Congress-led opposition in the committee, 17 to 13, the chairman opted not to go for a vote, as demanded by the Congress, and instead decided to postpone finalisation of the report till the next session. Sources in the government said the BJP preferred to see the Bill materialise only after the Bihar Assembly polls and was not too perturbed by the delay.

It now remains to be seen whether the government opts to re-promulgate the existing ordinance for a fourth time or it chooses to bring a new one incorporating the changes unanimously agreed upon by all parties.   

What has rankled the government is the delay in the passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill due to the Congress digging in its heels and unwilling to let Parliament function

The government had already capitulated to the opposition’s demand to bring back the social impact assessment clause and the consent clause in the land Bill. The committee only had three crucial issues to take up on Monday, but that became an unbridgeable gap.

There was a heated exchange of words, with the chairman accusing the Congress of using “delaying” tactics and former rural development minister Jairam Ramesh walking out. Subsequently, Ramesh was persuaded to return to the meeting.

The retrospective clause made eligible landowners, whose land had been acquired under the 1894 Act but who had subsequently gone to court over it, entitled to a compensation, according to the provisions of the new land Bill. However, the BJP wanted to amend it, seeking to exclude the  time spent under litigation where a stay order has been passed.

A similar disagreement occurred between the government and the opposition over Section 101 on unutilised land. While the Act had proposed returning land lying unutilised for five years to the owner, the government Bill proposed to leave it to the appropriate government to decide.  

With no consensus emerging, Congress members sought voting, which Chairman Ahluwalia refused, on the grounds that “the report has to be passed unanimously”.

Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien reportedly objected to this, saying the TMC was, in any case, against the Bill itself. The Biju Janata Dal also spoke out against the government on  a consensus in all issues.

Ahluwalia then stated he would be compelled to seek extension for the committee till the winter session with no middle ground emerging, to which the opposition members agreed.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy had already declared last week that the Bill would be on the agenda in the final week of the monsoon session. The committee purportedly had even set out a timetable for the Bill to be discussed before lunch on Monday by the committee and then finalised by 4 pm; with plans to bring it the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Now the Bill will be tabled only after the Bihar polls, an election where the BJP is hoping to unseat Nitish Kumar.