Not an inch will be given to pvt players: Agriculture Min on land bill

Farm land in Haryana and Noida/Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh were given at a throwaway price to the 'suit boot people' and 'relatives', he said

Asserting that not an inch of land will be given to private players, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today lashed out at the Congress for "giving" farm land at throwaway price to relatives and "suited booted" people.

Without naming either Congress or its vice president Rahul Gandhi, who has labelled the Modi government as a "suit-boot" ki sarkar, he said farm land in Haryana and Noida/Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh were given at a throwaway price to the "suit boot people" and "relatives".

"I want to say very clearly that under our bill, we will not give one inch of land to private players," Singh told reporters when asked about Congress party's opposition over land bill amendments.

"Those who gave coal mines to suit boot people without social impact assessment, such people talk about social impact assessment when we want to build road, school and houses in villages," he added.

Singh said the government is offering higher compensation, and jobs under the proposed new bill.

The minister said that farmers would ask questions to those who have given land to "people with suitcase and suit boot without social impact assessment".

Last week, the controversial land ordinance was re-promulgated for the third time.

The Union Cabinet had decided to re-promulgate the ordinance, insisting it was necessary for maintaining continuity and providing a framework to compensate people whose land is acquired.

The move came despite vehement protests by Congress whose vice president Rahul Gandhi termed the measure as reflecting the "amazing hurry" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "grab" land from the farmers.

Succumbing to the opposition pressure, the government has sent the contentious bill to a joint committee of Parliament, which is scheduled to submit its report in the beginning of the monsoon session.