Opposition creates uproar in Lok Sabha over land bill

The controversial land bill led to an uproar in Lok Sabha on the first day of the second phase of the Budget Session with a united opposition protesting the repromulgation of an ordinance on the issue.

Agitated members of Congress, Left, TMC, SP, RJD and others stormed the Well of the House as soon as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy laid a copy of the Ordinance, promulgated by the President on April 3. Opposition members raised slogans like "withdraw the bill" and "down with the anti-farmer government", terming the re-promulgation of the ordinance as "murder of democracy". 

Top opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi of Congress and Mulayam Singh Yadav of SP, were present in the House. Jyotiraditya Scindia, K C Venugopal and Gaurav Gogoi (all Cong), Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav (RJD) and Dharmendra Yadav (JD-U) were among several opposition members protesting in the Well.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan sought to pacify the members, saying the bill was yet to be introduced and they could protest when that happens.

When her pleas went unheeded, she read out a statement hailing woman players, Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza, for their "glorious achievments" in badminton and tennis respectively. Amid the din, she asked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to make a statement on the evacuation of Indian nationals from strife-torn Yemen. As opposition members continued their protest, Mahajan adjourned the House till 2 pm.

The fresh ordinance, which is the 11th by the Narendra Modi government, incorporates nine amendments that were part of the bill passed in Lok Sabha last month.

The ordinance, which the government could not get converted into a legislation in the first half of the Budget Session due to stiff opposition in Rajya Sabha, was re-promulgated on April 3, a day before it was to lapse.