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Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated organisation working in the farm sector that was instrumental in the Narendra Modi government's decision to put on hold field trials of 15 genetically modified (GM) crops, on Wednesday asked the government not to 'dilute' the Land Acquisition Act of 2014.
The Act deals with compensation, and resettlement and rehabilitation in the event of land acquisition for private and public-private partnership (PPP) projects. According to the Act, developers will need the consent of up to 80 per cent of people whose land is acquired for private projects and 70 per cent of the landowners in the case of PPP projects.
"There were media reports that the government is mulling over doing away with the consent clause for PPP projects, which currently need consent of 70 per cent of landowners, and reducing the consent requirement for private projects from 80 per cent to 50 per cent. If it goes ahead with this, we have no option but to hit the streets," said Mohini Mohan Mishra, national secretary, BKS.
BKS, which has about 2.5 million members from 75,000 villages, had run-ins with the Gujarat government when Modi was chief minister, over land acquisition. The state police had lathi-charged agitating farmers and raided BKS offices. "GM crops and land acquisition are the two potential areas of conflict with the government. We want to tell the government that higher the percentage of consent clause, the lesser will be the number of litigation and law-and-order problems," Mishra added. He said it is ready to work with the "Left, Right and Centre, and NGOs" for the farmers' cause. "We want to give the government some time to settle. But they should not commit such mistakes (permission for field trials of GM crops). Otherwise, we will be in confrontation with them," said the BKS leader.
Mishra said BKS was not anti-industry and wanted both the farm sector and industry to flourish. "Each state should create a land bank of its own for industry by acquiring waste, barren land, and sick and closed industries. The private entrepreneurs can take land on lease from farmers. This way, there won't be any law and order problem. Also, the government should not acquire multi-crop farm lands," he added.
He said private players often acquire more land than needed. "For instance, there are thousands of petrol pumps owned by Reliance Industries, set up on acquired land, lying unused for the past 10-15 years. The government should take back the land and give it to farmers."
Mishra demanded the government to dissolve the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) immediately. "This body has been working for the benefit of American multi-national companies. We have asked Union Minister Prakash Javadekar to order a probe into the activities of GEAC. How come they are repeatedly coming with such decisions when the courts and Parliamentary committee had taken a stand against GM crop trials? The minister has promised to organise a meeting of pro-farmer organisations and GEAC members."
On Modi's suggestion that technology be taken from lab to farmland to enhance farm output, Mishra said: "We are all for technological intervention; but it should not come from American lab to Indian farmland. It should happen indigenously."
On its expectations from the government, Mishra said: "We need a higher profitable price for agricultural produce; assured procurement; loans at zero per cent interests, water for irrigation and crop insurance. We don't need any subsidy except tax-free diesel. If at all the government wants to please farmers, it can directly transfer the benefits to farmers' bank accounts."
Mishra, however, praised Modi for certain initiatives taken for the farm sector during his tenure as the chief minister, especially the mandi system, and (now) the tough stance taken at World Trade Organization. "We are 100 per cent with the government on this (trade facilitation agreement)." On the Union Budget for FY15, he said it was a balanced one, given the present economic constraints.
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