Land Bill: Congress Launches Cyber Attack on BJP
The nationwide political and civil society protests may prove to be a nail in the coffin of BJP, which has failed on almost all socio-economic fronts during the 11 months of its rule in the country.
By Rakesh Raman
The opposition Congress party has launched a multi-pronged attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to protest against the amendments made by the Narendra Modi government in the Land Bill.
Led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, Congress is hosting a rally of farmers in New Delhi today to mobilize support against Modi’s BJP government, which is said to be working against the interests of farmers in India.
Congress has also given a digital flavor to its agitation and has embarked upon a number of new-media initiatives to solicit support particularly from young voters of India.
The party launched Saturday a dedicated website under the title Zameen Wapsi (or land return). The objective of this website, according to Congress, is to dispel the false facts being spread by Modi government regarding the Land Acquisition Act passed by the Congress-led UPA government.
“Some false facts are being spread regarding the Fair Compensation Act 2013 and the amendments made by the Narendra Modi government to the Land Bill,” said Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
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The website will dissect BJP’s Land Ordinance and interpret its contents for the people of India. It is designed to counter the campaign of falsehood and misinformation being run by Modi government, Congress said.
Further leveraging digital media to trigger public conversation around the issue, Congress has created a Twitter hashtag #KisaanVirodhiNarendraModi, which means Narendra Modi is the enemy of farmers.
Among its other forays, Congress has released the content for a multimedia campaign to promote its farmers’ rally in Delhi. The content includes a number of posters showing Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul along with farmers, a jingle, and radio spots to highlight the “anti-farmer” policies of BJP.
Meanwhile, social activist Anna Hazare – who is going to launch a massive agitation against the government – said that both BJP and Congress are not serious about the welfare of farmers.
[ Read: BJP, Congress Misleading Farmers: Anna Hazare ]
Among other opposition parties, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has condemned the amendments to the Land Acquisition Act. The party said that the amendments proposed by the Modi government are pro-corporate and anti-farmer.
The 21st Congress of the CPI(M) called upon its units to mobilize people against the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill. The CPI(M) said it will resist any attempts at unjust land acquisition and land grab.
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In December last year, the Modi-led BJP government had decided to make significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act, which will affect the farmers’ interest in the country.
With these changes, government will be able to grab farmers’ land without even asking them. The BJP government reasons that this land acquisition is required to begin new projects in areas such as industrial development, public-private partnership projects, rural infrastructure, housing, and defense.
Opposition parties, on the other hand, argue that Modi wants to benefit a few rich capitalists who are hand in glove with Modi and his BJP.
The nationwide political and civil society protests may prove to be a nail in the coffin of BJP, which has failed on almost all socio-economic fronts during the 11 months of its rule in the country.
By Rakesh Raman, the managing editor of RMN Company
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Photo courtesy: Congress
