New Delhi; Gujarat Congress on Saturday urged President Pranab Mukherjee not give assent to two controversial bills relating to land ceiling and anti-terror activities passed by the “anti-farmer and anti-rights” BJP government in the state.
A delegation of Gujarat Congress leaders, led by Ahmed Patel and Shankarsingh Vaghela, today called on Mukherjee and expressed concerns over “pro-industries” Gujarat Agricultural Land Ceiling (amendment) bill, 2015 saying it will deprive the poor the land meant for them, if the legislation becomes an Act.
They termed the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GCTOC) bill, 2015, cleared by the Centre and forwarded to Mukherjee, as “barbarian” and urged the President to protect democratic and civil rights of people by rejecting the it.
“There are thousands of acres of surplus land, especially with royal families, available in the state which would go to SC, ST, OBC, landless labourers, marginal farmers as per the Act.
“However, as soon as the Supreme Court ordered to declare the land as agricultural land in a case, the state government made amendment to the Act by making distribution of land to landless as not mandatory. If the amendment is considered, the land will go to industries depriving landless their rights,” Vaghela told reporters.
On the Gujarat government sending the anti-terror bill for the President’s nod for the third time, Vaghela said, the BJP regime in the state has made sanction to the legislation an “ego issue” and urged Mukherjee to not give his assent.
“The BJP government has made it an ego issue and again sent the GCTOC Act to the President. We prayed to the president that the bill sent by anti-human government, one snatching rights of common people, anti-farmer, anti-tribal government is not passed. President assured that he will look into the matter,” said Vaghela, flanked by state unit president Bharatsinh Solanki and party MLAs. The 35-member delegation included party’s MLAs and former MPs besides Patel, Vaghela and Solanki.
The delegation also submitted a memorandum to the President stating, the rejection to the bills “will go long way in upholding the spirit of Constitution and federalism”.
The Gujarat government passed the land ceiling (amendment) bill during monsoon session of Assembly this year, amending the present act to facilitate industries as well as civic bodies acquire and use surplus agricultural land, which was prohibited in the original Act.
Through these amendments, the government proposed to enable itself to allot this surplus land to industries as well as civic bodies. (PTI)
