Banerjee calls for withdrawal of 'draconian' land ordinance

Kolkata, Feb 24 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday said her party Trinamool Congress was opposed to land acquisition through force and demanded immediate withdrawal of the "draconian" land ordinance promulgated by the centre.

"Immediately withdraw land ordinance. It is draconian. It will affect the farmers. We have always opposed this," Banerjee said in a Twitter post.

"We do not support forceful land acquisition," she said on the day the NDA government came in for strident criticism over the land acquisition bill which was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed ruckus as opposition members demanded a discussion on the bill, leading to suspension of business of the house.

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill 2015 was introduced in the Lok Sabha amid an uproar by the opposition. Once passed, it will replace the land ordinance promulgated by the NDA government Dec 30, 2014.

In another post, Banerjee referred to the 26-day hunger strike she undertook in 2007 against the state's then Left Front government's move to acquire land for the Nano project in Singur. Following a strident peasant agitation led by the Trinamool, the Tata Group shifted the project to Sanand in Gujarat.