Acquisition Act together with removing of consent clause for buying land for 5 areas – industrial corridors, PPP tasks, rural infrastructure, reasonably priced housing and defence. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi is understood to be in favour of issuing such an order, but the Law Ministry said only an ordinance can be brought to bring the 13 acts under the ambit of the land law. The bill has so far been presented thrice in the Parliament; however the ordinance can also not be reissued as the Monsoon Session, which was not prorogued after scheduled sittings ended on August 13. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the country had lost eight months due to “politics of obstinacy, rigidity and non-engagement” by the Modi Government.

“After being reduced to 44 members in Lok Sabha, they felt it was an opportunity to gain some ground by painting NDA bill as anti-farmer and hence began demanding to reintroduce the same provisions, which they were opposing”, he said.

“Tomorrow the land bill will lapse and I have agreed to it”, the Prime Minister said.

Apparently referring to the political opponents, he said a lot of doubts had been created over the land Bill and fear instilled among farmers even though the states had suggested amendments to the Act of 2013 for the benefit of villages and villagers. “The government is open to any suggestion in the interest of farmers”, he said.

“If there is some recommendation with consensus by the Joint Committee of Parliament, something new can happen. This was the principal objective of the central government when the ordinance… was issued”, Jaitley has written.

However, after failing to win support in parliament, they may ask states to pass their own laws.

“Why did the Prime Minister and the government not want to ever look at the reasonableness, validity and need to bring our concerns on the table”, he said. The minister, in turn, accused the Congress of acquiring land in excess of requirements under the provisions of the 2005 Special Economic Zone Act.

Jaitley said that objective of 2015 ordinance was to give certain flexibility to the states.

Acquisition of property is a List-III, Entry 42 subject provided for in the concurrent list. “If any state wishes to make some amendments in the central law, the same would be permitted by the central government”, he wrote. “The position in the ordinance remains unchanged”, Jaitley wrote in his Facebook post.

He said provisions relating to “social impact assessment” require a large timetable which could go up to several years and language in the Act uses word “within time period” which needs to be shortened or exempted in some cases.