With the controversial Land Acquisition Bill back in Lok Sabha, a combative Rahul Gandhi today led the opposition attack on the government and vowed to oppose it inside and outside Parliament even as ruling NDA allies Shiv Sena and Akali Dal also voiced their reservations.
Shiv Sena and Akali Dal demanded that the bill be sent to a joint parliamentary committee.
Asserting that Congress will fiercely resist within and outside Parliament the attempt of "suit-boot ki sarkar" to "grab" farmers' land, Rahul accused the government of being "in a hurry to pass this bill" as it wanted to acquire land for industrialist "friends" and crony capitalists.
The debate on the measure came only after acrimonious exchanges over procedures for the consideration and passage of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Second Bill 2015, which even led to a brief adjournment of the House.
The debate saw opposition parties like the Congress, AIADMK, TMC, BJD and the Left oppose the measure. They were joined by ruling NDA partner Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant and SAD's R S Brahmpura who asked the government to send it to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) for detailed deliberations on its provisions.
Stoutly opposing the bill, Rahul said its passage "will not happen so easily. If we are not able to stop it here (in Parliament), we will hit the streets against it outside."
The Congress Vice President drew a parallel between a daylight robbery and the proposed law, saying an economist had told him that thieves wearing suits now strike during daylight.
Hitting out at the bill, he termed it as an attempt by the government to acquire land, whose price has been rising, for industrialist "friends" and crony capitalists. "This government wants to give land to crony capitalists and its industrialist friends because it's a 'suit-boot ki sarkar'."
Rahul's repeated jibes at the Modi government invited running protests from the treasury benches.
