Land bill row lingers

The government’s second attempt to win over the opposition and allies on the controversial land acquisition bill remained unsuccessful and a third such meeting is called next week — just before the budget session resumes.

The government’s second attempt to win over the opposition and allies on the controversial land acquisition bill remained unsuccessful and a third such meeting is called next week — just before the budget session resumes.

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Though the opposition softened its stand on the demand to send the bill to a standing committee for further examination, the parties stopped short of extending a commitment on their support to the bill’s passage in Parliament.

The government is now working on the next meet on 18th April to take the parties on board and avoid a confrontation in the house.

“There were two options. One was to send the bill to the Standing Committee. The other was to settle the issues in the all-party meeting, where government brings its official amendments studying suggestions of various parties,” leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said after the meeting. The first of the meetings was held on March 7th.