Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay flayed the BJP-led State Government for misrepresenting the facts before the public in order to allow land-loot to continue in Jharkhand.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, a day after media reports about the Bill passed by the Assembly amending the Land Acquisition Act-2013 came into light, the former Ranchi MP directly indicted Chief Minister Raghubar Das for his involvement into land dealings in the name of investment.
“The Government is behaving like land looter in the State. Earlier they went ahead attempting to amend the CNT-SPT Act and failed. Again the amendment proposed into the Land Acquisition Act removing provision of the social impact assessment, which has now been sent back the Center. I would name Chief Minister Raghubar Das as land lootera who is acting on the behest of corporate houses,” said Sahay.
Citing the objections raised by the Center while returning the Bill, Sahay said that cultivable land in the State is continuously shrinking thus if the Government is allowed to function in this manner then livings of the farmers and tribals would become even difficult.
“The amendments would have thrown the door ajar for capitalists who have eagle’s eye on the resources, particularly land in Jharkhand. Raghubar Das under their pressure even went on displacing people residing on GM land for decades and on the forest land under the FRA. The Government resorted even to firing on the farmers opposing acquisition of their multi-crop land at Badkagaon. People’s representatives speaking against the move have been thrown behind the bars and implicated in false cases,” he went on.
Sahay was particular about cases filed against former Hazaribagh MLA Yogendra Sao and his MLA wife Nirmala Devi, who have recently been granted bail by the Supreme Court. Citing media reports, he said that in order to suppress his descent, the Government is once again preparing to impose CCA against him.
“This is unprecedented that a politician is being booked under CCA again and again. I have not seen this happening in my over four decades old career. Yongendra Sao is on the target of the CM just because the CM himself is partner of the contractor working for NTPC’s Rs 25000 crore projects,” alleged Sahay.
The Congress leader at the same time demanded judicial probe into land acquisitions and a rehabilitation policy saying that displacements happening out of mining and industries are taking place in all 24 districts of Jharkhand.
“Coal mines and others are present in all the districts of the State. Does the Government want to uproot people from all over without giving proper compensation and rehabilitation to them? We are not going to remain a silent spectator to all this but would organise series of protests against the organised land grab,” added Sahay.