Himachal Pradesh BJP today attacked the state government for bringing an amendment to "dilute" Section 118 of HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act in order to "sell" the scarce agricultural land of the state to outsiders in the name of setting up Industrial and other projects.
"The Congress government, which rode to power in the last Assembly polls in the state on slogan of 'Himachal on sale under BJP', is going ahead with sixth amendment to Section 118 of the Act," party spokesman Ganesh Dutt said.
He said that while the non-agriculturist bonafide Himachalis are running from pillar to post for purchase just 150 sq yards of land for constructing a small house, the "Congress government was contemplating to sell huge chunks of land to outsiders without any NOC which would open flood gates for selling the scarce agriculture land of the state to non-Himachalis".
The BJP granted permissions only in 1,649 cases for purchase of land by outsiders from 2007 to 2012 while the Congress government gave permission in 2,398 cases during 2003 to 2007, he said.
The BJP leader said that the Congress government has made a "mockery" of the Section 118 of the Act and it has totally failed to protect the lands of poor farmers, which was being diverted for other purposes on one pretext or the other, he added.
