Modi defends NDA's ordinance decisions

Speaking on the controversial ordinance issue for the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today defended his government's decision to take that route and said new laws on land and e-rickshaws will benefit villagers and the poor respectively.

Ruling out that the new land law was meant to benefit the industry, he said land will be acquired only for the welfare of villagers not for the rich.

Under attack from the Opposition, Modi used an election rally ahead of Delhi Assembly polls on February 7 to speak on the issue and assured farmers that only as much land will be acquired as is needed for their "welfare".

The ordinance has done away with several checks present in the previous law brought by the UPA government and makes land acquisition much easier for various infrastructure and public welfare projects.

"Some people criticise us for bringing ordinances. Congress leaders are shouting day and night. Tell me, should not there be house for the poor villagers? There are so many villages around Delhi. Don't they need roads, hospitals, factories to employ youth...

"But what will you do if there is no land? Where will the house for the poor come from... Yes we have done it and I want to tell farmers that only as much land will be acquired as is needed for you welfare. Land will not be used for the rich," Modi said.

He also mentioned the ordinance which regularised e-rickshaws and said those who oppose it are opposed to the poor.

"Those having e-rickshaws have got legal protection. Tell me if helping them is a crime. Tell me if we had to bring ordinance to help them, we should have brought it or not. After all, government is for whom? It is for the poor... Those who oppose the ordinance are against you," he said.

Congress and several other opposition parties have criticised the Modi government over the land ordinance, terming it "anti-farmer".

Expressing his reservations against the ordinance route, President Pranab Mukherjee had also recently said that enacting laws without parliamentary discussions "breaches the trust" reposed by people and ordinance route was "to meet an extraordinary situation under extraordinary circumstances".