Land needed for defence of nation would be hard to acquire with UPA law: Arun Jaitley

BHOPAL: Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said UPA's land acquisition law was not only a "conspiracy" against farmers, but would have been a major hurdle if land was needed for building a defence base to guard the nation. Jaitley was in Bhopal to address the inaugural session of the state BJP working committee meeting which was also attended by Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Thavar Chand Gehlot.
"The day, UPA's land bill was passed, I met then minister for rural development Jairam Ramesh and told him not a single irrigation project can be launched with such a law. There would be no rural electrification or Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana because land is required for development," said Jaitley. Ramesh had promised to make relevant changes in the law for irrigation projects, but that never took off, said Jaitley.
The minister also tried to educate the state BJP unit on "misconceptions" being spread against the Modi government's Land Acquisition Bill by the Opposition.
Jaitley argued 35% of the country's population is middle class while another 40% are the aspirational class that wants a better life. "With development, sub-urbanisation is an accepted phenomenon. But UPA's land bill would have ensured the rural man would have to live in villages and never come out of it. NDA government does not want industrial parks or hubs. We want development of industrial corridors," said Jaitley, defending the Land Acquisition Bill.
He maintained 30 crore people in rural India are landless labourers. Quoting Babasaheb Ambedkar, he said only industries can raise earnings of poor, backwards and Dalits.
"Development of an industrial corridor would raise land prices in 20 km radius. NDA government's Land Acquisition Bill will accelerate rural infrastructure, housing for poor and jobs with industries. There are some states, including Congress-ruled ones which have given to us in writing they want changes in UPA's law. West Bengal does not want it. But Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and even Tamil Nadu wants the Bill passed. So our question is how can the Opposition stop what many state governments want for development? Let the state that does not want it, not implement it. But you cannot stop development of other states," he said.