Open to discussing land Bill with Opposition, says PM

Responding to Rahul Gandhi's criticism, Modi said a "suit boot ki sarkar" was better than a "suitcase (ki sarkar)"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the opposition to his government’s land Bill is “totally unjustified and unfortunate”. He added he was willing to have an open dialogue on this issue with various political parties and consider their suggestions.

In an interview to news agency ANI, the PM said benefits of the amendments to the 2013 Act would accrue to the poor in rural areas in terms of irrigation, housing, electrification and better physical and social infrastructure. He claimed the amendments would help farmers and were in the long-term interest of the nation.

“The world is changing fast. Even farmers need canals to irrigate and roads to transfer products from farms to markets. They need hospitals, schools and houses. Farmers want modern amenities in their vicinity and jobs in formal sectors for their sons and daughters. I have always believed if we want inclusive development, we need amenities,” Modi said, adding the amendments to the 2013 Act aimed to do away with bureaucratic bottlenecks. “I am sure the farmers of this country will understand where their real welfare lies,” he said.

The PM said the 2013 Act was brought about hurriedly ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and was neither in the interest of farmers nor in the interest of the country. “Now, they (opposition parties) are not even ready to sit and discuss,” he said. He hoped political parties would cooperate on issues of national importance, without getting into political calculations.

On Saturday, the Cabinet decided to re-promulgate the land ordinance, a move criticised by the Congress and other opposition parties.



The PM said his government was concerned about agrarian crisis and had moved with alacrity to provide relief in this regard. It was also enhancing assistance to farmers hit by the recent unseasonal rain. He termed the problem in agriculture as endemic, as nothing substantial was done to address this for six decades.

The PM, in his first response to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of his government being a “suit-boot ki sarkar”, said a “suit-boot ki sarkar” was definitely better and more acceptable than a “suitcase (ki sarkar)”, a reference to the several scams during the United Progressive Alliance government’s rule. So far, only junior ministers had responded to Gandhi’s potshots.

Modi said the Congress had suddenly discovered the poor. “You should ask them ‘if you were pro-poor, why does poverty still exist in India?’’’

“Their worry is they are being exposed as not being pro-poor. People are asking them ‘if the Modi government can think and do this in six to nine months, why could you not do it in 60 years?’. On his government’s performance, Modi said it was for the people of India to evaluate the performance. The PM said he was “fully satisfied” with the work done in the past 12 months. “Corruption was seen as the biggest problem. We have given a clean, transparent and efficient government. Burey dino ki vidayee hui hai (bad days are over). Is this not acche din for the country?” he asked.

On his frequent foreign visits, the PM said foreign engagements were international obligations all prime ministers had to meet.

“Our foreign policy is mature and there is a full-fledged mechanism to pursue it. I have only added an element of dynamism to it,” he said. The PM expressed confidence the recent pledges of investment by China, Japan and other countries he had visited would fructify. On the rights of minority, he said the Constitution guaranteed religious freedom to every citizen, adding that wasn't negotiable. He said his government’s motto was “Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas”.

“We stand for each of the 1.25 billion Indians, regardless of caste or creed and we will work for the progress of each. Every faith in our country has equal rights; it is equal not only before law but also before society.”