New Delhi:
In a big blow to an ambitious economic reform agenda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has indicated it may have to row back on a land bill amid fierce parliamentary opposition.
"Either the Centre must build a coalition and pass the land bill quickly, or give the flexibility to the states to pass their own laws," said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday, after nearly half of 31 chief ministers boycotted the PM's meeting to discuss the proposal on making it easier to buy farm land for development.
The government is worried that a stand-off with the opposition could adversely affect other crucial legislation including a national Goods and Sales Tax (GST) could be affected when Parliament meets next week.
"We realise that currently we don't have the numbers to pass it (the land bill)," a leader in the BJP told news agency Reuters. "By reducing the heat on this, we will be able to get other things passed."
"There is no way we will allow the land bill to be passed in parliament," said Rahul Gandhi today. His Congress party's support is crucial in the Upper House or Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority.
The PM has issued temporary and consecutive executive orders for new land rules, but the changes cannot be made permanent without clearance from Parliament.
Opposition parties have joined forces to portray the proposed changes to the land act, including exemption from getting consent of 80 percent of landowners for some projects, as anti-farmer, a damaging charge when farmer suicides are surging because of debt and failed crops.
The land bill was sent to a parliamentary committee for review in May; that committee has said its report will be delayed by at least a week. That effectively rules out any real progress on the issue during the three-week Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Yesterday, three senior government officials failed to show up to answer the committee's questions.