Shiv Sena to write to Centre seeking changes in Land Bill

Continuing its resistance to the Land Acquisition Bill, Shiv Sena today said it would write a letter to the Centre seeking amendments in some clauses of the Bill.
"One cannot be heard unless one continues to roar loudly. We will continue to speak against the Land Acquisition Bill... We will be writing a formal letter to the Government to amend certain clauses and they will have to look into our request," senior Sena leader and Maharashtra Industries minister Subhash Desai told reporters here.
Referring to the recent meeting between Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray over the issue, Desai said, "Had the meeting taken place before the introduction of the Bill in Parliament, Sena could have pointed out to the Government the clauses that the party is against."

With the Land Acquisition Bill becoming a bone of contention between the ruling BJP and opposition parties, Gadkari had met Thackeray at the latter's residence on Friday evening seeking his support over the contentious Bill.
Thackeray, who has been strongly advocating the cause of farmers, has termed the Bill as "anti-farmers," and had asked his party workers on Wednesday to propagate the "ill effects" of the proposed law in its current format among farmers.
Reacting to Desai's statement, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said the timing of the meeting (between Gadkari and Thackeray) does not hold importance and that Sena should stop opposing the Bill without giving any specific reason.

"Whoever is opposing this Bill should clearly state the clauses they are referring to. Are you against the move that farmers will get a compensation four times the value of their land?" he asked.
He also sought to know what the Shiv Sena, which has been ruling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has done after acquiring lands for various development projects.