Land Bill: Govt denies charge of bypassing Parliament

A united Opposition on Tuesday tore into an ordinance promulgated to amend land acquisition rules, calling it an "anti-farmer" move brought by "bypassing" Parliament to benefit corporate houses, a charge vehemently denied by the government.

Soon after obituary references and listed papers laid on the table in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma (Cong) said Congress and three other parties have given a notice under rule 267 for suspension of the business as the government has bypassed Parliament to make changes in a law that was passed in 2013 through consensus of all parties including BJP.

Defending the ordinance route, Finance Minister and Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said 639 ordinances had been promulgated since Independence, of which 80 per cent were under Congress rule.

As many as 70 ordinances were promulgated under first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and 18 under United Front, he said listing ordinances that were promulgated multiple times during the previous UPA regime.

"No law can be passed by by-passing Parliament," he said, adding a bill to convert the ordinance into an Act was listed for introduction in Lok Sabha and after it is passed in that House, it will be brought to the Upper House for discussion.

"So the new logic that is being constructed that Parliament is being bypassed, is not justified," Jaitley said.

Sharma responded saying ordinances under Nehru were spread over his 17 years in power and under extra-ordinary circumstances as the country had just been partitioned.

The ordinances under UPA had to be re-promulgated multiple time as the opposition had not allowed the House to function, he said.

Stating that no bill was being referred to parliamentary standing committees, the Congress leader said the land ordinance was promulgated without discussion with anyone inside or outside the House and the government was by-passing parliament scrutiny.

Raising a point of order, Jaitley said since a bill on the land ordinance would be introduced in the Rajya Sabha after being passed in Lok Sabha, the House cannot be discussing the issue twice.

Responding to this, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said Zero Hour was meant for members and it is only an anticipation that the bill would come up in the Upper House.

"Leader of the House said that it is in the other House. It may be, but this House does not know... this is not in the list of business (of Rajya Sabha)... Therefore there is no harm in having this discussion," he said.

Sharad Yadav (JD-U) said through the ordinance, the government was "bulldozing and trampling" on Parliamentary scrutiny because they have absolute majority.

The government, he said, is withdrawing bills from Rajya Sabha so that they could be passed in joint sitting.

Jaitley rose to say policies of Yadav's party do not want irrigation projects and rural roads. To this Yadav responded saying, "We are farmers. You have not worked in farms, we have."

Mayawati (BSP) said the land acquisition bill passed by Parliament in 2013 was done after elaborate consultations and the present ordinance was not in the interest of the farmers and favoured only few industrialists and corporate houses.