'BJP Endorses All Decisions of Government, Including Land Bill': Arun Jaitley

"There is a strong view in the party to campaign on all issues and fully back the PM, government on all their decisions... The party is firmly behind them on the land bill," Mr Jaitley said.

Mr Jaitley said the land bill passed by their predecessor, the Congress-led UPA government, was "anti-farmer" and that the BJP will campaign among people for the new land bill to explain its benefits.

"The (UPA's) 2013 bill, and this is one of the points I made, was an anti-farmer bill. The 2015 amendment seeks to correct it," he said.

He said the new bill will help boost rural infrastructure and added the proposed industrial corridors will provide jobs to all. "The land bill will help rural India through industrial corridors. Industrialisation in rural India will provide jobs to the poor," Mr Jaitley said.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari today made a power point presentation at the conclave, highlighting how the government's land bill scores over the version of the UPA.

Mr Gadkari also announced a mega outreach plan where a team of national and state-level BJP leaders will travel across the country to dispel doubts and fears that of new land bill will only benefit industry and not farmers. A series of rallies are likely to be held over the next three months as part of that counter-campaign.

The Congress, which has severely attacked the government's land ordinance or emergency executive order which aims to make land purchases easier for industry and infrastructure projects, has planned a massive farmers' rally on April 19, which is likely to see an appearance by its Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who has been on a sabbatical from his party.

Prime Minister Modi set the tone yesterday for the BJP's planned aggressive counter-campaign by attacking the Congress at a rally in Bengaluru. "People launch campaigns for farmers just for politics, they don't understand basic issues," the PM said, adding, "I was raised among the poor, I understand farmers' pain... their interests must be protected."

A major chunk of his speech addressed farmers on a day that President Pranab Mukherjee signed off on the latest version of the controversial land acquisition ordinance, which was sent to him with amendments after the government failed to pass it in Parliament.

The ordinance now includes nine changes made when a bill to replace it was passed in the Lok Sabha last month. With no possibility of the bill making it through the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling BJP and its allies are in a minority, the government had no option but to issue the ordinance again.