AIKS demands withdrawal of Land Acquisition Ordinance

Upping the ante against the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) today demanded Centre to withdraw its Land Acquisition Ordinance and other "anti-farmer" policies, which it said, would aggravate agrarian distress.
In an open letter, AIKS sought Modi's response to 11 questions on "agrarian crisis", saying these would help him "introspect" how policies implemented by his government and previous ones were responsible for the precarious situation of the peasantry in the country today.
"On behalf of AIKS, which is the largest organised movement of the peasantry with 1,60,10,357 membership all over the country, I would request you to immediately withdraw the Land Acquisition Bill 2015 and reverse anti-farmer neo-liberal policies pursued by your government which aggravate the agrarian distress and farmers' suicide," AIKS General Secretary Hannan Mollah said in the communique.

He asked Modi why the government wanted to eliminate the clause on farmers' consent and provision of social impact assessment as mandated in the 2013 Land Acquisition Act (formulated by UPA government) through the Ordinance.
"Why has your government been persisting on removal of restrictions on acquisition of multi-crop and fertile land through provisions in the 2013 Act...?
"Why did your government coerce the provision in the Ordinance to change the term 'private company' to 'private entity' so that acquisition can be used wantonly for any private entity that requires land for its use...?" he asked.