Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a protest march on April 22 against the government's land bill (Press Trust of India photo)
Arvind Kejriwal, proficient in leading demonstrations, will, on April 22, hold his first protest since taking over as Delhi Chief Minister. Mr Kejriwal will lead a group of his party's legislators, supporters, activists and farmers in a march from Jantar Mantar, a designated Delhi spot for demonstrations, to Parliament, demanding the government abandon its plans to make land acquisition easier for industrial and key infrastructure projects.
The Congress party is scheduled to hold its own public protest against the land reforms three days before Mr Kejriwal. Top Congress leaders including chief Sonia Gandhi, and her son, Rahul, who remains on a somewhat mysterious and lengthy "leave of absence" will deliver speeches against the government, describing its plans for land acquisition as "anti-farmer."
An executive order issued by the government in December makes major changes to a law on land acquisition passed when the Congress was in power.
The ordinance lapses on Sunday, and the government plans to issue another decree which includes revisions made when the proposal was passed by the Lok Sabha last month. It could not be brought to the Rajya Sabha because the government is in a minority there. The ordinance eases requirements for investors to seek consent from affected landowners, among other measures.
The BJP's top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are devoting a large part of a two-day conclave in Bengaluru to finalising a strategy that will counter the perception that the land reforms are designed to benefit industry and corporates at the cost of farmers. The land reforms are key to the PM's agenda of igniting economic growth.
Billions of dollars of investment in industrial projects are tied up due to conflicts between farmers and companies trying to buy land, government backers say, hampering growth that could lift millions out of poverty.