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Almost three years after parting ways, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joined his mentor and activist Anna Hazare in the latter’s campaign against the central government’s land acquisition Bill here on Tuesday.
Kejriwal, who reached Jantar Mantar with all his 66 Delhi MLAs on the second day of the protest, said he extended “wholehearted” support to Anna, who had earlier refused to share the stage with any political leader. Terming the proposed land legislation “anti-farmer”, Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, calling it a “property dealer” of corporate houses and asked them to take lessons from the Delhi Assembly election defeat.
“I consider Anna my guru…He is like a father figure. I want to say today (on Tuesday) that we are with you and give wholehearted support to this movement,” Kejriwal said, after Anna announced he “respects” the support of a chief minister.
Anna had said on Monday he would not allow any political leader to join him on the stage of the protest venue. However, after meeting Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday, he agreed to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) support.
“We had decided that we won’t share the stage with any party leader. However, a chief minister is not any other person. We respect the CM’s post,” Anna said, on the second day of the protest when comparatively more people flocked the venue.
“When the Congress-led government was in power, there was a lot of corruption. They had taken away farmers’ land and given it to industrialists. Later, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led-government came to power, the people were very hopeful. The new government has further amended the (land acquisition) law,” said Kejriwal, “If this Bill is passed, the government will become the property dealer of big corporates.”
AAP leader Yogendra Yadav had also launched a Jai Kisan Abhiyan against the land acquisition law on Saturday. Under the control of his government, Kejriwal said although land is not a state subject in Delhi, it would intervene in any forceful acquisition “with whatever power” the city government possess.
“You can’t run a bulldozer over people; you have to take them along, else public will run a bulldozer over you,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said his government will give due compensation at market prices if there is land acquisition in Delhi. "If the government wants progress and open school, hospital or metro rail, people will happily give away their land," said Kejriwal.
The chief minister invited Anna to inspire his departmental heads by his address at the Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday.
