Congress top guns hit streets in zameen wapsi campaign

NEW DELHI: Congress on Wednesday took its protest against the land acquisition bill to the streets, warning the BJP government of blockading the Capital if it passed the “anti-farmer” law.
The opposition outfit, led by Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel and senior managers Digvijay Singh, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Deepender Hooda among others, raised the decibel at a dharna at Jantar Mantar where Rahul Gandhi was conspicuous by his absence.
Ramesh, who as rural development minister piloted UPA’s land law, said, “It is a zameen wapsi agitation against the ghar wapsi government.”
The allusion to BJP government giving priority to communal issues like religious conversions over issues of the poor couches the political message that Congress hopes will revive its fortunes that have hit rock bottom.
The bid to put the land law on centrestage is well thought out, aware that if hammered hard, it will raise uncertainty in the minds of farmers that whimsical authorities can again take over their land – a move that can put Congress back in favour with the rural populace.
Ramesh articulated the hope by saying that Jantar Mantar would prove the ‘sanjeevani’ (life-saver) that Chikmagalur proved for Congress after the 1977 rout.
If it is back to “aam aadmi” approach by painting BJP as pro-corporate, its author Rahul Gandhi only found mention in a few speeches. His leave for introspection raised eyebrows because it coincided with the peaking of the faceoff over land law with which he has identified himself following the agitation at Bhatta Parsaul.
Speaking to an approving crowd of farmers, Ahmed Patel said Congress should take the agitation to “chaupals”. “They were talking of making the country Congress-mukt (free of Congress). Within nine months of coming to power, they want to make the country kisan-mukt (free of farmers)," he said.
Digvijay Singh mocked that Modi had failed to pay Rs 15 lakh to every Indian as promised but had begun to repay his backers among corporate houses through laws like the one on acquisition.
Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia said BJP's “achche din” were only for 20% of rich population and not for 80% farmers.
Raising the rhetoric, Patel cited the Mahabharata to argue that Duryodhana lost the war after he usurped the land belonging to the Pandavas. “When Modi was elected, I was asked ‘how is he’? I said he ruined Gujarat, now he will ruin India,” he added.