Withdraw "regressive" Land Acquisition Bill, 2015, during current session of Parliament: Bhumi Adhikar Andolan

By A Representative

A massive rally, organized under the banner of Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, has demanded that the NDA government should withdraw the “regressive” Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015, and begin implementing the “progressive” Land Acquisition Act (LAA), 2013.
The rally was addressed by senior civil society and political activists attached with mass organizations, including Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Prafulla Samantra of theNational Alliance of Peoples' Movements, Hannan Mollah of the All India Kisan Sabha, Ashok Chowdhury of the All India Union of Forest Working People, and Yogendra Yadav of the Swaraj Samvad, among others.
Those attending the rally included people in different struggles such as tea plantations in West Bengal, the affected people of lower Suktel dam in Orissa, those affected by the Adani project in Chindwara, the power plants in Katni, and displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada in Gujarat.
The speakers stressed that the NDA government issued the land ordinance thrice, but each time it had to retreat. “We consider this to be a victory that amendment bill will be withdrawn during this budget session”, a BAA statement issued after the rally said.
The issues raised by representatives of different organizations included making attempts at diluting progressive laws like the Forest Rights Act 2006, increasing farmer suicides in different states, and “shocking” attacks in Chhattisgarh on adivasis and the increasing attack on educational spaces.

It was pointed out that, today, there exists a nexus between the communal powers that preach hate politics and corporates that plunder our resources. They want to break the solidarity of people, who have taken a stand against on what is happening in India today.
The speakers pointed towards how whistleblowers, human rights defenders, journalists and activists across the country are targeted, beaten up and portrayed as ‘anti-national’ elements while defaulting corporations are given tax exemptions to the tunes of thousands of crores.
At the same time, it was noted, there have been efforts to paint environment laws and ‘hurdle to development’ by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, which suggests that the Government of India is indifferent towards the voices of the people.
In all, an estimated 5,000 people from different social movements, workers’ unions, fish workers, forest workers, and farmer organizations from across 15 different states of the country participated in the rally.
Asking the Government of India to stop states in their attempts to dilute the LLA, 2013, the rally demanded that the Government of India should take steps to stop forced land acquisitions in the name of land pooling and other means by various state governments.
Also asking the Government of India to stop tampering with the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and ensure its “effective and timely implementation”, the BAA demanded that there should be “effective” ways to tackle the agrarian crisis immediately to ensure remunerative support prices for farmers’ produce and compensate crop loss.
The BAA also demanded the Government of India should “stop attempting changes in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), rollback cuts in budget allocation and ensure 300 days work, even as providing Rs 300 wages daily.
Also asking the Government of India to stop implementing the TS Subramanian Committee’s “regressive” recommendations and changes to environmental laws, BAA also demanded there should be dilution of the labour laws relaxations.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Search This Blog