Photo by: Reuters
KOLKATA (miningweekly.com) - Political opposition is coalescing in India to resist the government’s initiatives to change the governance of land acquisition, coal, and mines and minerals.
The government, which brought in legal changes through the issue of various ordinances, would have to get them ratified in Parliament, which commences on Monday; however, various political parties were setting aside their other political differences to put up a common opposition against changes in land acquisition, coal and mining.
The opposition unity against the legal amendments was significant, as the incumbent government headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had a majority in the Lower House of Parliament but not in the Upper House, and as such would not be able to muster the support in both the houses necessary to get the ordinances converted into Acts of Parliament.
Since last month, the government has issued a spate of ordinances for purported reforms, such as the amendments to the Land Acquisition Act, to ease restrictions on industry securing large tracts; the Coal Mines Special Provisions Ordinance, for auction of coal blocks and sanctioning commercial mining by private investors; and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Ordinance, aimed at opening the mining industry and, among others, sanctioning the auction route for the allocation of mineral resources to private and government companies.
In the run-up to the Parliament session for presentation of the federal budget, all major opposition political parties had threatened to stall proceedings unless the legislative changes were rolled back, as they considered these changes as `pro-corporate interests’, `anti poor’ and `anti-farmer’.
The largest opposition party Indian National Congress has flayed the BJP-led government for reversing 'pro-farmer’ provisions in the land acquisition laws ushered in by the previous Congress-led government in 2013.
Setting the tone of the opposition on the eve of Parliament session, Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Ghulam Nabi Azad said “the government should not expect any support for 'anti-people' Bills and legislations from the Congress Party”.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which runs the government in the mineral-rich eastern Indian coastal province of Odisha, said that it would oppose the ordinance on amending the mining and mineral sectors as the provincial government was against several provisions, including sanctions for adopting auction as the mode of allocation for resources such as iron-ore, manganese, bauxite and limestone.
“We have taken the position that there is no need to bring ordinances and will oppose the move of the central government. We have raised objections to provisions in the Mines and Mineral Ordinance and will send notice for its revision and try build up opinion with other parties in our favour,” BJD leader in the Lower House Bhartuhari Mehtab said.
Meanwhile, veteran social activist and anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, who spearheaded social movements and urban uprising against the previous Congress-led government, would lead a protest march of farmers across north India, culminating in New Delhi.
He announced that his initial protest would run for two days but in the case the government did not roll back the `anti-farmer’ amendments to the Land Acquisition Act, an indefinite protest would be launched in the Indian capital.
The provisions amending the land acquisition laws that the opposition sought to have passed, included that a mandatory social-impact report be prepared for each industrial project seeking large tracts of land and the creation of a list of projects exempted from the provision that a minimum number of locals approve a project.
Leftists, such as the Communist Party of India (Marxists), announced that it would oppose “dangerous authoritarian rule ... promulgating ordinances to carry out lopsided policies and agenda”.
The All India Trinamool Congress, which heads the provincial government in West Bengal and has the second highest number of MPs in the Lower House after the Congress, said it would not allow passage of "draconian ordinances" in the Upper House where the government does not have a majority on its own.