Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge) Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday asked Congress Party vice president Rahul Gandhi as to who would be accountable for the land acquired illegally by the latter's brother-in-law Robert Vadra in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan.
"What about his brother-in-law (Robert Vadra), how he took the land of poor farmers in Haryana. Let him (Rahul Gandhi) answer that first in Odisha," said Pradhan
Pradhan was giving a rejoinder to Gandhi's charge in Bargarh, Odisha,that, the NDA regime has not done enough for the farmers of the nation, some of whom had committed suicide, but rather was promoting the industrial lobby.
Vadra's Skylight Hospitality has been accused of acquiring lands illegally in various parts of Haryana's Gurgaon District. The case is under investigation on the orders of the Haryana Government.
Rahul Gandhi on Thursday again accused the NDA regime at the Centre of favouring a few industrialists and ignoring farmers, some of whom had committed suicide because of their inability to clear their debts or due to crop failure.
Interacting with the families of farmers who had committed suicide and other farming community representatives in Bargarh, Odisha, Gandhi said, "The families of farmers who committed suicide are being ignored by the Government of India, which is focussing only on a few industrialists."
Gandhi also described the Land Reorganisation Bill being introduced in Parliament by the ruling NDA as "anti-farmer".
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He pointedly told farmers here how the Congress has not allowed the passage of the bill in the Rajya Sabha.
Land acquisition in India is governed by the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 and which came into force from January 1, 2014.
Till 2013, land acquisition in India was governed by Land Acquisition Act of 1894. On December 31, 2014, President Pranab Mukherjee promulgated an ordinance with an official mandate to "meet the twin objectives of farmer welfare; along with expeditiously meeting the strategic and developmental needs of the country".
An amendment bill was then introduced in Parliament to endorse the Ordinance. The Lok Sabha passed the bill, but the same is still lying for passage by the Rajya Sabha.