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Observing that the United Progressive Alliance government's Land Acquisition Bill is "a political response to a political problem", Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said his party leader Rahul Gandhi was the force behind the speedy introduction of the bill in Lok Sabha.
Ramesh said the entire process-- from beginning of the drafting of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 to its introduction-- took only 55 days.
Its credit should go to Rahul, who led the agitation against Land Acquisition policies of the Uttar Pradesh government. "....the political context on which the bill was introduced is Rahul Gandhi's padyatra in UP," the minister said.
Asked whether giving all credit to Rahul for bringing the bill is a "partisan approach", Ramesh said, "It is a political attitude. I am a political animal. I am a political personality."
"This bill is as much about Land Acquisition as much as it is our politics. We are not living in some fools paradise...divorce from day today political realities. It is a political response to a political problem," the minister said.
Ramesh said Rahul not only gave the "broad principles of the bill, but more importantly met the prime minister on more than one occasion and also talked to various people in order to impress upon them the urgency of introducing the bill in this session of Parliament."
"Without Rahul Gandhi's intervention and involvement in every step, the bill would not have been prepared and introduced in 55 days," he said.
"Not only was it prepared, it got cabinet approval, went into Lok Sabha ... the entire process took 55 days and this entirely because of Gandhi's personal involvement and intervention and sincere effort," he said.