No option for govt except to withdraw land bill: Karat

Former CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat today said that the Centre has no other option but to withdraw the Land Acquisition Bill, as there were large scale protests against it across the board.
"Across the board, not only politicians, but farmers across the country are also against the bill. The government has no other option except to withdraw it," he told reporters at the airport here when asked about its fate.
On the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, relating to irregularities in admissions and recruitment, Karat said Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan should step down for a free and fair CBI probe.

Chouhan is facing the heat over the scam and death of nearly 40 persons linked to it.
CBI has so far registered 13 FIRs in connection with various Vyapam scam cases, including the death of an MBBS student Namrata Damor.
To a question on the Centre's stand of not giving the security nod to Sun TV group to participate in the Phase III FM auctions, he said government cannot interfere in the functioning of any media house, be it All India Radio, television or otherwise.

"Also it has no right to prevent any media house in participating in any type of auction and the Government was taking a wrong step," he added.

On July 15, the I&B Ministry had rejected the applications of 'five companies' of Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV group for participation in the auctions.
An Application Review Committee had rejected the applications of the companies of the group, which had failed to get security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.