The New Indian ExpressFirst Published : 13 May 2011 11:55:00 PM ISTLast Updated : 14 May 2011 01:32:02 AM IST
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s dramatics at violence-hit Bhatta Parsaul in UP that resulted in his arrest and release had more politics than concern for the farmers. Had farmers’ welfare been his primary objective, he would have gone to Jaitapur where the local people have been agitating against forcible acquisition of land. However, what drove the young MP to the village is his overweening ambition to re-establish the Congress’ lost hold on the state. He believes that his political future is dependent upon his ability to capture the imagination of the people of the largest state. The village provided not just a photo-opportunity but a chance to establish his credentials as a farmers’ friend.
Rahul does not realise that what UP Chief Minister Mayawati has done is what Congress chief ministers like Bhupinder Singh Hooda have been doing. They are one in misusing a British-era law that empowers the government to acquire land for ‘public good’. While the Hooda has succeeded in buying peace by paying a better price to the farmers, his UP counterpart has failed in this regard. Both are equally guilty. The Allahabad High Court has, while setting aside acquisition of 100 hectares of land in Gautam Buddh Nagar district for ‘industrial development’, questioned the bona fides of the government and ordered the return of the land to the farmers.
If Rahul wants to end the exploitation of farmers, all he has to do is to force the Centre to bring a law that will stop forcible acquisition of land. The onus of acquiring land at market rates should be on those who want to set up industries — not the state government. Since every such piece of land also has a ‘potential value’, the farmers must be given a stake in the projects for which the land is acquired.
No comments:
Post a Comment