लैंड बिल और आरक्षण

पटेल तो गुजरात के रूलिंग क्लास हुवे, नहीं? तो फिर रूलिंग क्लास को आरक्षण क्यों चाहिए? जाट जमीन जायदाद वाले लोग। वो भी कह रहे हैं आरक्षण।

लेकिन वो आरक्षण नहीं कह रहे हैं। वो कह रहे हैं नौकरी दो। नौकरी यानि की job ---- white collar job. तो क्या होता है कि समाजवाद में नौकरी कौन देता है? गवर्नमेंट। तो इस लिए लोग आरक्षण आरक्षण कर रहे हैं।

पटेल भी जाट भी कह रहे हैं अब खेतीपाती में दम नहीं रह गया। कोई छोटी बड़ी नौकरी ही दे दो।

तो यार वही तो है लैंड बिल। कि खेतीपाती में अब दम नहीं रह गया। अब industrialization करो ताकि लोगों को नौकरी मिल सके। लैंड बिल भी और लेबर बिल भी।

समाजवाद में होता है कि एक बार नौकरी मिल गयी बस बैठे रहो वहाँ पर रिटायर होने तक। तो लोग कहते हैं, नौकरी दो, या सरकारी नौकरी या प्राइवेट मतलब नहीं, लेकिन जॉब गारंटी होनी चाहिए। प्राइवेट सेक्टर में तो वैसा नहीं होता। एक इंटरप्रेन्योर को अगर आप के रखने से फायदा नहीं तो वो रखेगा क्युं। उसके पैसे न भगवान से आ रहे ना सरकार से। सिर्फ कंपनी के revenue के पैसे हैं। तो जॉब गारंटी तो होता ही नहीं। प्राइवेट में होता है hire and fire at whim. लेकिन ये होता है कि आप के विरुद्ध discriminate नहीं कर सकते। ये नहीं कह सकते कि मुसलमान हो इस लिए नहीं लेंगे। तब तो वो जेल जायेंगे। या फाइन होगा।

तो कहते हैं समाजवाद में वैसा नहीं होता। नौकरी की गारंटी करो। यहाँ तक कि प्राइवेट में भी आरक्षण!

तो ये एक War Of Words है जो बीजेपी वाले लड़ नहीं रहे। लैंड बिल के समय किसी ने अमित शाह को कह दिया कि हल्ला है आप गरीब किसानों की जमीन उद्योगपतियों को देना चाहते हैं। तो अमित शाह ने कह दिया एक इंच भी जमीन किसी उद्योगपति को नहीं मिलेगा।

उद्योगपति को नहीं मिलेगा तो फिर किसको मिलेगा? उसी उद्योगपति को देने के लिए तो हो रही थी रस्साकस्सी। उद्योगपति को नहीं मिलेगा तो फिर औद्योगीकरण कौन करेगा? Jobs कैसे create होंगे? किसको दहेज़ में देनी थी जमीन?

जाट भाइयों ने बस उड़ा ही दिया। ये देखो लैंड बिल। नहर बिल।

एक War Of Words है जो बीजेपी को लड़ना होगा। कि आप जो नौकरी नौकरी किये हो वो सरकार से आने वाली नहीं। वो जहाँ से आएगी उसके लिए लैंड बिल भी और लेबर बिल भी चाहिए। फैक्ट्री  लगाने के लिए जमीन की जरुरत होती है। और नौकरी आप की कब लगेगी कब चली जाएगी वो सिर्फ उस कंपनी के मालिक को निर्णय लेना होता है। उसमें और किसी की या सरकार की दाल नहीं गलती।

RSS वाले बहुत उर्जा दिखाते रहते हैं। तो उन्हें प्रोजेक्ट दो। एक बिलियन हिन्दु को एक casteless Hinduism में कन्वर्ट करो। उससे भी उर्जा बच जाए तो उसके बाद जाओ दुनिया घुमो और प्रत्येक महादेश पर हिन्दु का संख्या बढ़ाओ। सुबह सुबह दंड बैठकी करने का कुछ तो फायदा होना चाहिए कि नहीं?

और एक बात है इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर की। बिजली सड़क को कहते हैं इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर। लेकिन access to credit भी तो इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर है और सबसे नंबर एक है महत्व के हिसाब से। बायोमेट्रिक आईडी भी है और अब बैंक अकाउंट भी। तो बगैर कोलैटरल का लोन दो। ताकि लोग छोटी मोटी बिजनेस शुरू कर सके। अमरिका में भी सबसे ज्यादा जॉब क्रिएशन होता है स्मॉल बिजनेस द्वारा ही। १०-२० लोग को खटाने वाले बिजनेस ही सबसे  ज्यादा लोगों को नौकरी देते हैं। तो अभी उस small business sector को भारत में informal sector कह के डिसमिस कर देते हैं। वो सोचीसमझी साजिश है बड़े उद्योगपतियों की ताकि बैंक लोन सिर्फ उन्हें मिले। जब कि सबसे ज्यादा फोकस होना चाहिए उसी small business sector पर। Access to credit नंबर वन बात है।

मोहन भागवत कहना चाह रहे थे कि जातपात खत्म करो लेकिन मुँह से धोखे से निकल गया आरक्षण ख़त्म करो।

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Labor Bill पर एक दो बातें

मान लो आर्थिक मंदी आयी। चीन में तो ३० साल में एक भी नहीं आई। न जाने कैसे वैज्ञानिक लोग हैं चीन में। लेकिन अमरिका बेलायत में तो ७-८ साल में एक बार मंदी आना ही है। मानसून की तरह रेगुलर आती है। तो जब मंदी आती है तो अमरिका में लोगों को नौकरी से हटाने लगते हैं। "You are fired."

जर्मनी में वैसा नहीं होता। मंदी आती है तो लोगों को बाहर फेंकने के बजाय सब को कहते हैं, अब लोग हप्ते मैं पाँच नहीं चार रोज काम करेंगे, और सबके तनख्वाह में थोड़ी थोड़ी कटौती कर दी जाएगी।

दो अलग  हैं। दोनों काम करते हैं। Both of them work.

तो इंडिया इतना बड़ा देश है। Land Bill, Labor Bill ---- जो controversial bills हैं उस पर जम के open, full debates होना चाहिए। नारेबाजी नहीं, full debates. अभी तक मैं देख रहा हुँ नारेबाजी हो रहे हैं। जैसे आप Land Bill के विरोध में हजार लोग हजार बार हजार शहरों में एक ही लाइन बोलेंगे तो वो तो नारेबाजी हुई। ये किसान विरोधी है। अमीरो की सूटबूट सरकार मुर्दाबाद। ठीक है, आप ने अपना अधिकार जताया, नारेबाजी की, कोई दिक्कत नहीं। अब जरा debate पर भी तो आओ।

• Hold full fledged open, informed debates and discussions. Informed का मतलब बिज्ञ लोगों की भी राय सल्लाह लिजिए। आप चुनाव जित के आ गए तो क्या हुवा? इनसाइक्लोपीडिया का लस्सी पि तो नहीं लिए। 
• Attempt synergies and fusions. 
• Come up with uniquely Indian solutions. 
• Make room for federalism. Make room for diversity in solutions. Different states might legitimately come up with different versions of the land and labor bills. 

अभी तक का समस्या मैं देख रहा हुँ debate नहीं नारेबाजी हो रहा है। 

Labor Mobility In India

Narendra Modi struggles to overhaul India's labour laws

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is again facing dissent from members of his own camp who oppose proposals that would make it easier for companies to do business. .... The country's top 11 unions -- the biggest of which is linked to Modi's ruling party -- have called for a nationwide strike on Sept. 2. They are resisting his plan to merge 44 labor laws into four, a move that would simplify some of the world's most rigid rules for hiring and firing workers. ......... "If there's no satisfactory reply from the prime minister, the strike will continue," Baij Nath Rai, president of the Modi-linked Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, said ..... The union will oppose "tooth and nail" any policies by any government that go against the interests of workers, he said. ..... One of the most controversial provisions is allowing companies with as many as 300 workers to lay them off without government approval. The cap is currently at 100, while existing retrenchment compensation is three times lower than proposed. Another is an attempt to make it tougher to form unions. ...... The government and unions failed to reach consensus on key issues such as retrenchment, closure of factories, formation of unions and minimum wages at a meeting on Sunday ..... The country's biggest union is linked to the ideological parent of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. While it differs from unions connected to the main opposition Congress party and Communist groups, they all see eye to eye in opposing Modi's overhaul of India's labor laws. ....... Successive Indian governments have failed to change the laws, fearing a backlash from unions and working-class voters. ..... Modi is treading carefully ahead of an election later this year in Bihar, one of India's poorest states and home to about 100 million people. He's already facing opposition from farmers over a bill to make it easier for companies to acquire land, opening him up to criticism that he cares more about big business than about the poor. ...... "Modi has been caught between a rock and a hard place" ..... "If he moves ahead he will lose votes. If he doesn't then investors will lose faith in him." ..... Economists and business groups say existing laws incentivize firms to stay small, hurting productivity and preventing the majority of workers from accessing legal safety nets.

About 81 percent of Indian laborers were "vulnerable" in 2010 because they didn't get regular wages

, the second-worst ratio among 81 countries tracked by the World Bank.

कुछ रास्ते हैं

• एक रास्ता है confrontation का जो मार्गरेट थैचर ने अख्तियार किया, कि जाओ बंद हड़ताल करना है तो करो, खुद भी थक जाओगे, लोग भी तुम से थक जायेंगे, और मजबुरन खुद ब खुद काम पर वापस आओगे। शायद ये मोदी और भारत के लिए ठीक नहीं होगा 
• दुसरा रास्ता है education का ------- labor law reforms देश और खुद मजदुर के हित में क्यों है इस बात पर व्यापक स्तर पर तर्क वितर्क हो। शायद ये रास्ता ज्यादा अच्छा है। लेकिन मुश्किल ये है कि टाइम प्रेशर है। 
• तीसरा रास्ता है इसको पहले स्टेट लेवल पर अमल करो। लेकिन ऐसा करने से एक पीढ़ी चली जाएगी। धीमी गति विकास क्या खाक विकास। 

रास्ता नंबर दो: Build A Strong Case, and market it hard. Be willing to compromise a little.

ये तो Land Bill के जैसा हो गया। भारत को double digit growth rate के रास्ते पर ले जाने के लिए दोनों की जरुरत है, Land Bill और Labor Bill दोनों की।

• जिस job guarantee को आप ढूँढ रहे हो वो job create कौन करता है? Entrepreneur . तो उस बन्दे का हाथ पाऊँ बाँध के रखे रहो तो वो अपना काम नहीं कर पाएगा, तो फिर वो job creation का काम कैसे करेगा? 
• इंडिया में labor mobility नहीं है इस लिए बड़ी तादात में foreign investment नहीं आ रही है। देश आगे नहीं बढ़ रहा है। 
• अगले जेनेरेशन की सोंचो। जो नौकरी आप कर रहे क्या ये चाहते हैं कि आपकी संतान भी वही करे कि उससे अच्छा करे? 

Land Bill stuck in the Parliament: PM Modi may have to rethink Jaitley as FM
Arun Shourie's critique is simple: Modi does not need a Palaniappan Jaitley as FM

The NDA government has some – and not inconsiderable - achievements to its credit. Among them: the passage of the insurance, coal and minerals bills, the small factories bill that will end inspector raj for small units, the successful holding of the coal and spectrum auctions, the NJAC bill, the rollout of the Jan Dhan Yojana, the decontrol of diesel pricing, and building further on the UPA’s Aadhaar-based and direct cash transfers scheme. The PM’s own contributions to foreign policy and efforts to highlight cleanliness through Swachch Bharat are surely commendable. ...... Even outside areas that need legislation, the Modi government has been simply too timid in deregulation and administrative reform - two areas that don’t require parliamentary numbers and are perfectly amenable to Modi’s decisive actions. ......... Jaitley's strengths are articulation, a good understanding of the art of political repartee, and a sound legal mind, as befits a lawyer. But his inadequacies are blighting the possibility of success. He does not seem to have an eye for detail, as a result of which his babus are leading him by the nose (consider the disastrous Rs 40,000 crore MAT demand on foreign investors and the complicated ITR form dished out by his taxman that would have taken tax terrorism to every home). His stringent black money bill will, if passed, make corruption worse, as mistrust rises to new levels in tax administration. ......... Jaitley’s political judgment can also be questioned. Not only did he misjudge his own chances of being elected MP by deciding to fight from Amritsar (where he lost, when he could have easily won from Delhi, his home base), he also led his party to defeat (along with Amit Shah) in the Delhi assembly polls. Worse, he completely misjudged the political opposition to the land acquisition law by provoking a counter-consolidation through the second-time issue of the ordinance. Bills are not passed by riding roughshod over opposition sentiment, but by smartly finessing their ability to do damage. ...... Jaitley's real problem is that he is a Delhi insider and hence less suitable to lead a revolutionary change in economic thinking under the Modi government. He would have been very good in I&B, Defence or External Affairs or Law, even education, but is probably the wrong man for the crucial finance ministry. ......... shifting Jaitley now would be a political blunder, but Modi clearly needs to give him three effective junior ministers who are all about execution and delivery. ...... Shah’s handling of allies has also been poor, if not disastrous. He has alienated the Shiv Sena by humiliating it after the BJP emerged as the biggest party in Maharashtra in the October assembly elections. He may be doing the same in Punjab, where the Akali Dal is trying to distance itself from the BJP. The party is losing allies in Tamil Nadu, which may not matter, but even parties who were not anti-Modi (BJD and AIADMK) are now playing hard-to-get. Only N Chandrababu Naidu and Ram Vilas Paswan remain strongly in the NDA camp, but they too cannot be taken for granted. ....... Maybe, just maybe, it is the Peter Principle at work: he may have been promoted to a level of his incompetence.

Arun Shourie critique offers pointers on what Modi must fix in his remaining 4 years

Arun Shourie, Disinvestment Minister and later Communications Minister in Atal Behari Vajpayee's cabinet, has offered a devastating critique of the Modi government's performance so far . While he has noted Modi's achievements in diplomacy and other areas, but his criticism of the Modi-Arun Jaitley-Amit Shah power troika is ultimately a critique of Modi's own style of functioning. .......... Modi has to understand the importance of compromise to get the opposition to pass important legislation. The fact is the Land Bill and GST cannot pass without opposition support. This means accepting delay as part of the process and working with the Congress and other parties to get a reasonable bill through. Here again, Jaitley has been a problem. The current GST bill is a moth-eaten one, and delay cannot make it worse, but possibly make it better. A moth-eaten GST bill may be better than no GST at all, but for a bill that has been more than 10 years in the making, surely another couple of months can’t do it harm?

Shourie slams Narendra Modi: 10 things he said

There is a big gap between perception and promise, and projection and performance. ...... Investment has not picked up. The government can't ignore India inc warnings. The government needs to wake up. Investors still have hope but the industrial sector is waiting for concrete moves. The growth claims are only to make headlines and the government only wants to manage headlines. ....... India needs labour reforms. There was no need for land bill controversy. Ordinances were ill-advised. They led to disruptions. BJP supported the previous Land Bill. Allies were not taken into confidence. Modi must embrace the opposition. No reform can take place without the oppositions' support. The opposition is ganging up against Modi and the BJP is frightening others. ....... The monogrammed suit was inexplicable, a critical mistake. Don't understand why he wore it.

Modi's California Tour in September; First PM to Visit Silicon Valley in 66 Years

Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had visited San Francisco in 1949. ..... 15% start-up companies in Silicon Valley have Indians as founders or co-founders. ...... ''I hope his time is not monopolised by billionaires and big companies. Silicon Valley is so much more than that. It is the culture of start-ups and the enabling ecosystem that makes it what it is,'' said Vinod Dham, a former Intel vice-president. Dham is also known as the Father of the Pentium chip. .... His Nepal visit was the first bilateral trip by an Indian Prime Minister in the last 17 years. .... And with his upcoming trip to Israel later this year, Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.

Bihar Asssembly polls: RJD plans tonga poll campaign



Why a forthcoming rally in Bihar is so crucial for NaMo and SuMo

The saffron party is considering announcing a chief ministerial candidate in Bihar if a Narendra Modi rally in Muzaffarpur doesn't draw enough crowds. ..... July 25 rally at Muzaffarpur. ... if enough people don’t turn up at the event, the party should declare a chief ministerial candidate to insulate Modi from any possible debacle. ...... reminiscent of the strategy the BJP adopted in the midst of the Delhi assembly election campaign earlier this year. Initially, the party’s position was clear – there will be no chief ministerial candidate, and the Modi card will be used just as it was in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

Land Bill पर लफड़ा क्यों हो रहा है?

मोदी का Land Acquisition
Indian Farmers And The Land Bill
Biju Janata Dal And The Land Bill
Land Acquisition Bill: The Details

मोदी इतना अच्छा काम कर रहे हैं। मैने अपने लाइफ में ऐसा इंडियन PM नहीं देखा। अभी दुनिया का सबसे पॉपुलर पॉलिटिशियन मोदी है। सबसे आगे। नंबर एक। थोड़ा तो गर्व करो विपक्ष वालो। विपक्ष के हैं लेकिन हैं तो भारतीय। मैं तो कहता जमीन मांग रहे हैं तो दे दो। Trust के आधार पर। ये मोदी Deng Xiaoping और Lee Kuan Yew टु इन वन हैं। ऐसा दिख रहा है। And neither of them had to deal with the enormous messiness that is the Indian democracy. चीन में कभी कोई Land Bill पास करने की जरुरत पड़ी ही नहीं। वहाँ तो आंय टांय बोलो तो गोली से उड़ा देते हैं।

आजादी के बाद ४० साल जनसंख्या वृद्धि दर भी २-३% और आर्थिक वृद्धि दर भी २-३% ---- तो देश जहिं का तहिं रह गया। वो तो फैक्ट बात है। आंकड़ा है ओपिनियन नहीं। ये बन्दा जो जनसंख्या वृद्धि दर को १% से कम और आर्थिक वृद्धि दर को १०% से उपर का रास्ता दिखा रहे हैं, तो थोड़ा cooperate करो, और नहीं तो अमित शाह गिद्ध दृष्टि डाले बैठा हुवा है, एक एक स्टेट लेता चला जाएगा वो। बोलता कम है वो।

इसी तरह लैंड बिल का विरोध होता रहा तो अमित शाह बिहार और उत्तर प्रदेश दोनों ले लेंगे ---- ऐसा लगता है। अगर ऐसा हुवा तो राज्य सभा में तख्तापलट।



Bihar CM Nitish Kumar opposes land bill at NITI Aayog meet

Kumar said "substitution of term 'private company' by term 'private entity', removal of the consent clause, exemption from social impact assessment and special provisions for safeguarding food security in the process of land acquisition and relaxation in the time limit for return of the unutilised acquired land are not in public interest." ...... Modi today reached out to parties appealing them not to come in the way of prosperity of farmers, saying the deadlock over the land acquisition Bill is seriously impacting rural development. ...... Modi said, "The political deadlock over land acquisition (law) is seriously impacting rural development, including the creation of schools, hospitals, roads and irrigation projects." ...... Meanwhile, Kumar requested Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to honour the commitment made by him in his budget speech when he proposed special assistance to Bihar as given to Andhra Pradesh.

If Land Bill blocked, states to seek own

The second governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held mainly to discuss the pending Land Bill, turned out to be a chastising experience for the government as all the nine Congress-ruled states boycotted it, while Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Delhi voiced objections to several clauses of the legislation....... Chief ministers J. Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu, Akhilesh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh, Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, N. Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh and Naveen Patnaik of Orissa also did not attend the meeting. ...... They opposed the “dilution” of provisions of the original Land Acquisition Act of 2013 regarding the consent of farmers and exemption from social impact assessment. ....... Notable among those present were Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Even Punjab, ruled by NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal, cautioned that farmers’ and landowners’ consent should be taken while acquiring land. Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal said that the social impact assessment clause should apply to all acquisitions. ....... The chief ministers present at the meeting raised the issue of allowing them the freedom of amending state laws on land acquisition in their respective Assemblies, which could be later cleared by the Centre. The main basis of the states’ argument was that due to the delay in acquiring land, the development process had been severely affected. ...... though the CMs present at the meeting were all for arriving at a consensus on clearing the bill, at the same time they said that the wait for a consensus could not be an endless one, and therefore if there was a roadblock then the states should be allowed to make amendments in their respective state laws.

'Bring Your Land Bill, Or Let Us Pass Our Own,' States Say at PM's Meet

PM Modi has spent significant political capital trying to push the land law through Parliament, and Mr Jaitley's comments raised the possibility that if he is unsuccessful again in the coming Monsoon Session, he might devolve the issue to states. ..... PM Modi has made the reform a central plank of his economic agenda, and told the meeting that a lack of land for roads, housing and industry was crimping economic growth. ...... In his first year in office, PM Modi has made life easier for Indian businesses by cutting red tape, but Opposition protests have slowed his efforts at structural economic reforms he says are needed to make India a leading global economy. ...... "If they give up on this, it will be a huge setback for industrialisation, and for planned urbanisation," said Mohan Guruswamy, president of Centre for Policy Alternatives, a think tank. ..... In the Parliament session due to begin on Monday, July 21, the government also plans to pass the GST Bill, the biggest tax overhaul since Independence, and may introduce labour bills aimed at job creation.

Acquiring land is must for development, says Arun Jaitley on Land Bill

“Land is required for every developmental activity, there are no two views about it,” Jaitley said. ..... “Some states have demanded 2013 law to be implemented rigorously before switching to the new act, while others suggested to offer alternative source of income along with compensation for the land,” he added. ...... Jaitley said, “The chief minister of Maharashtra has decided to include the the opition of profit sharing, job guarantee and partnership in developmental projects along with compensation in return for the acquired lands.The states shall be offered flexibility to introduce such amendments suitable to their state in their respective assemblies.” Jaitley also mentioned Punjab chief minister Praskash Singh Badal for offering a suggestion in the NITI Aayog meeting to offer alternative sources of income along with compensation to the farmers whose lands are acquired. ........... Jaitley assured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi who chaired the meet would consider each and every suggestion offered by the states. “PM’s concluding thought was that concerns of all state shopuld be kept in mind,” he added.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar opposes Land Bill at NITI Aayog meet

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das supported the new land bill and termed those opposing it as "obstructionists" to rural development. ...... In the second meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, Das said that if necessary, powers under the act can be delegated to the state governments so that they can acquire land as per their necessity. .... He said the new Act is essential and "very essential and important" in the context of Jharkhand. ..... Strongly backing the new bill, he said it was the right of those living in villages to get uninterrupted, 24/7 transportation link, electricity, water, hospitals and educational institutions and "all this is only possible when the process of acquisition is easy". ..... Das said the new LARR Act is in the interest of the farmers and people living in rural areas as 70 per cent of the state's population resides in villages. ...... He, however, stressed that displacement of farmers or common persons whose land is being acquired should not take place without their rehabilitation..... As per the Act, the state government has framed the rules and also notified them. It has been decided that if land is acquired in rural areas, compensation rate to be provided will be four times more than the market price while in urban areas, it will be two times more than the market price

Land Acquisition Bill not a matter of life or death for me: Modi

People of this country have suffered and remained poor due to shortsighted policies of the Congress," he told ANI.

Nitish favours original land Act of 2013

Nitish Kumar said he was opposing the amendments to the bill because these were "pro-corporate and anti-farmers"....... He said that land acquisition was not merely a matter of compensation but a purely emotional issue for landowners, mostly farmers, in the country

Dangerous gamble over Land Bill

Before the government brings the already twice renewed ordinance on the controversial land acquisition legislation before Parliament to have it converted into a proper law, in case it can muster the courage to do so, it got a taste of the mood of the non-BJP state governments in the country at the NITI Aayog consultation on Wednesday. Chief ministers of the nine Congress-ruled states didn’t bother attending, making their opposition known loud and clear. For those tempted to see political partisanship in the Congress chief ministers keeping away, the leaders of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu also apparently saw little merit in discussing the issue at the Niti Aayog since they have expressed their unease with the changes to the 2013 land acquisition law of the UPA vintage. They, too, stayed away.But what about the chief ministers present as Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to hammer a consensus into shape on the contentious subject? Bihar leader Nitish Kumar and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal opposed any dilution of the 2013 law. But even BJP allies like Akali Dal — part of the ruling NDA alliance — and the PDP of J&K advised caution. “Land Bill 2015 has triggered concerns within the farming community” in Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal noted. Some voices said the states should just go ahead with their own land acquisition laws (since land is a state subject) if a consensus at the Parliament-level proved elusive. Possibly, this is the compromise that the Prime Minister could be looking at as he seems to have been pushed into a tight corner. His plight seems unenviable. It is not just leaders of Opposition parties and some friendly parties, but also leading front organisations of the RSS, the BJP’s ideological fountainhead, that have publicly come out in denunciation of the changes to the 2013 law that the Modi government has sought to push through the ordinance route. It is far from clear if the Monsoon Session of Parliament, to commence next Tuesday, will yield productive discussions in any field given the Prime Minister’s silence on the issue of corruption in high places under the BJP dispensation and the sullen mood of the Opposition on account of this. If the land ordinance can’t be brought to Parliament for ratification, then Mr Modi’s high-stakes gamble would backfire, costing him political capital. In hindsight, it may have been better if he had held consultations with the states before seeking to amend the 2013 law. Many have noted the irony that a piece of legislation passed with unanimity in Parliament after intensive and lengthy consultations wasn’t permitted a chance to be implemented before the Modi government tried to torpedo its key provisions through amendments.

Opposition's monsoon wading

The Congress looks certain to be a lonely warrior in the monsoon session. It will attack a suddenly scandal-jittery BJP but the main opposition party seems to be running out of partners even before the game has begun. ........ The cynosure of all eyes is Congress party President Sonia Gandhi. It's not unexpected, for the event is the iftar she is hosting. The man getting almost as much attention is sitting to her left-Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. ........ What came as unexpected, at least for the party's senior leaders and managers, was the dearth of other non-Congress leaders of significance. Lalu Prasad, Mulayam Singh Yadav, J. Jayalalithaa, Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee were all conspicuous by their absence. ...... The Lalit Modi scandal, the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, the PDS scam in Chhattisgarh, allegations of a Rs 200-crore scam against Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde-they all seem to be stumbling out of the cupboard. ...... Outside the Congress, the only leader of note who has gone hammer and tongs against Modi on corruption charges is Nitish Kumar. ...... The party is thus zooming in on just two pieces of legislation: the land acquisition and GST bills. ...... All's not lost for the Congress though. Most regional parties share its views about the land bill, which will make it near impossible for the government to pass it in Rajya Sabha, where NDA has only 61 members. Even BJP allies such as the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiv Sena have expressed reservations against the bill in its current form, while in a significant U-turn AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa had written to Modi on July 15 requesting him not to go ahead with amendments to the bill. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Lok Sabha leader Bhartruhari Mahtab says his party will extend support if the government agrees to its suggestions. The party has moved five amendments, including one to make people whose land will be acquired partners in enterprises built on those stretches. ......... "The Opposition will not allow the land bill to be either passed or defeated, giving no chance to the government to convene a joint session," says Yechury. ...... On GST, however, the TMC and the BJD stand by the government. According to BJD's Mahtab, the party is not opposed to the GST bill but wants mineral-rich states such as Odisha to be also allowed to impose a 1 per cent cess, a benefit extended to manufacturing states. The bill is likely to be endorsed by the 21-member Rajya Sabha select committee, as the Congress and SP are the only ones opposing it with any might.

Bihar to oppose land Bill at Niti Aayog meet tomorrow

Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya ..... "We can understand the PM wants to help the corporate houses by introducing anti-farmer amendments but

when a renowned economist like Panagariya openly supports the Bill, it creates doubts about his intentions

as well," said a Nitish aide. Panagariya, in his blog posted on the Aayog's website on Monday, has urged the states to

liberalize their land use policy to facilitate industrialization

, a move that he feels would create a win-win situation for landowners as well as tenants. ........ "We agree industrialization is necessary for fast development, but it should not be at the cost of agriculture and poor farmers. What is the need to set up industry on fertile lands? We will not allow use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes unless the project is of high national importance."