As a controversy rages over land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh, the Centre on Thursday said it has plans to introduce a bill in this regard in the next session of Parliament as there appears to be consensus on the issue.

However, home minister P Chidambaram said law and order in Uttar Pradesh is not a "happy situation" as farmers were protesting in many villages on the land acquisition issue and criticised the way chief minister Mayawati was handling the protests by farmers.

But he ruled out sending a central team to assess the situation there in view of recent clashes in Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida where two farmers and as many policemen were killed.

"We must have a new land acquisition law. Government has drafted a new act that has provisions for better compensation, rehabilitation and other measures. But it was not possible to build a consensus on the law.

"Consensus building took some time. Now we are at a point when there is a fair degree of certainty that there is a consensus on the law with some amendments," he told a press conference, the first after prime minister Manmohan Singh formed a Group of Ministers to brief media to counter the bad press government may face on occasions.

He said it is the government's intention to introduce a bill in the next session of Parliament and did not rule out bringing an ordinance in this regard.

On the midnight drama over the arrest and release of Rahul Gandhi, who spent a day in Bhatta Parsaul yesterday, union minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid attacked Mayawati over the way his protest was handled by the government and police.

"Very clearly whatever he (Rahul) did was entirely right because as a member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh and as a leader, he has every right to be there. He just wanted to spend the night there.

"There was no need to interfere with it. As an MP from Uttar Pradesh he has every right to express his concerns for the farmers and now it is more than evident that the people of Uttar Pradesh is extremely unhappy over the manner in which the matter is being dealt with," he said.

Khurshid said Mayawati is "jittery and losing sleep" over the tremendous support and respect Rahul Gandhi was getting both inside and outside party.

Chidambaram expressed the hope that the Uttar Pradesh government will heed to reason and respond to the "just demands" of the people.

Chidambaram disapproved of the police lathicharge on Congress activists in Lucknow and said the loss of lives in Bhatta Parsaul was "very distressing".

"It is natural for political parties to espouse the cause of farmers. They have the right to do so," he said.

Asked whether the government has asked for a governor's report on Uttar Pradesh law and order situation, he said, "I have not called for a formal report. I am keeping in touch with what is happening there."

Responding to a comment by Mayawati this morning that Rahul's protest was "mean theatre", Khurshid said in UP, lot of time is wasted on use of certain words in public discourse.

"I hope elegant words are used and no time is wasted," he said.

To a question whether the district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar shot himself in his foot, Chidambaram said there was no such report.

Asked about the charge that Rahul put his own life at risk by not informing UP government about his protest and such acts were a violation of SPG Act, he said there was no violation of SPG Act.

On the proposed land acquisition bill, he said, "we think we have reached a point where we can say a consensus can be reached on the bill. It is my fair my assessment. Once a final shape is given to the bill, we will brief you."

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Mayawati says opposition playing politics

Rajnath begins hunger strike in Ghaziabad against UP govt's land acquisition policy

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Thursday condemned the "mischievous opposition political parties" for supporting Greater Noida farmers who have been protesting against acquisition of their land. Addressing a press briefing in state capital, she said the chief reason behind the agitation was "the interest of opposition political parties". 

The farmers from Bhatta Parsaul villages of Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) district have been agitating against land acquisition by the Mayawati government. Though the campaign started in January, it made headlines last week when the protesters had violent clashes with police.

Rahul Gandhi, the AICC general secretary, on Wednesday sneaked in and visited the villages. He heard the villagers and sat on a day-long dharna -- before he was arrested only to be released late in the night.  On Thursday, BJP leader Rajnath Singh too has come out in support of the farmer, as he launched his protest fast in neighbouring Ghaziabad.

Mayawati also said that a wrong message was being sent out that the land was being acquired for the Yamuna and Ganga expressway. "The Greater Noida authority had acquired the land after giving compensation to the farmers," she added.

The chief minister also said that the opposition had distributed arms to the agitating farmers. She said that the opposition was fighting a war in Uttar Pradesh without a reason. Mayawati added that her party had approached the Centre for a new Land Acquisition Bill.

PTI adds:

Rahul Gandhi indulging in mean theatrics: Mayawati

UP chief minister Mayawati on Thursday accused the Congress and other opposition parties of attempting to disturb law and order by spreading rumours on land acquisition and dubbed Rahul Gandhi's dharna in Greater Noida as "mean theatrics".

She said the clashes in Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida had nothing to do with the issue of land compensation.

"By spreading lies and rumours, opposition parties are attempting to disturb law and order situation by misleading people and Bhatta Parsaul incident is an example of their dirty politics," Mayawati told reporters in Lucknow.

She accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who staged a dharna in Bhatta yesterday before being detained and released, of indulging in "mean dramatics".

Mayawati said that whatever Rahul Gandhi has to do on the issue of acquisition of farmers' land, he should first do in his party.

"I would like to tell 'Yuvraj' that whatever struggle he has to do, he should do in his home first, as the decision is in the hands of the Centre.

"It seems that he is not being heard in his own home and he is venting his frustration by indulging in mean dramatics," she alleged.

Mayawati said that from time to time the cabinet secretary has on her behalf clarified the situation, but still an attempt was being made to mislead people by associating the issue with land compensation.

"As a part of the conspiracy rumours are being spread that the land has been given for Yaumna and Ganga expressways, which is completely false," she said.

She said the land was taken for development under masterplan of the Greater Noida Authority."I strongly condemn false publicity despite repeated clarification," she said.

Mayawati said that farmers in Gautam Buddha Nagar gave their land to Greater Noida authority way back in 2009 and had taken the compensation.

"From this it is clear that the incident had nothing to with the compensation. This is dity politics of the opposition parties," she alleged.

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BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Jaitley arrested

Senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were arrested in Ghaziabad by the Uttar Pradesh police when they were agitating in support of farmers of Greater Noida who want more compensation from the state government for their acquired land.

The arrests evoked a strong reaction from the party which alleged that Uttar Pradesh was being run under a "dictatorship" and vowed to continue its protest "irrespective of repression".

The BJP leaders were arrested on charge of breach of peace under section 151 CrPC and taken to the police lines in a police van in the district where prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC which do not allow assembly of four or more persons were already imposed.

Rajnath Singh had started a 24-hour fast today at the Ambedkar park in Ghaziabad to protest against atrocities on farmers by the UP government. Jaitley and Naqvi, along with some state unit leaders of BJP, had gathered to support him.

After the arrest, Rajnath said wherever he is kept under detention, his fast would continue till 11 AM on Friday.

He alleged that there was utter lawlessness and rampant corruption in Uttar Pradesh under the BSP government.

Earlier, the former UP chief minister said if a BJP government came to power it would form a commission to investigate all corruption cases against the Mayawati government.

"The situation in UP is such that even legitimate protest is prohibited. This is an intolerant government. Our protest will continue irrespective of repression," Jaitley told PTI after the arrest.

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha alleged that Mayawati was being dictatorial and acting like an "Ottoman ruler".

"UP is being run like under a dictatorship. Sitting on a hunger strike for 24 hours is an absolutely assured democratic right. How can you arrest somebody not indulging in looting or rioting? Which law was broken that necessitated their arrest. I am absolutely shocked at the behaviour of the government," Sinha said.

He maintained that it was the Mayawati government which had ordered firing on the agitating villagers.

"If the opposition goes there, you cannot find fault with them. It is our duty to reach out to the farmers in this hour of need," he said.

The former union minister insisted Mayawati was acting in a "very unwise manner".

"This is not the way this issue will be surpressed and if she does not allow expression of opposition then she is in for a great deal of trouble.... If she thinks she a ruler like the Ottoman king then she is completely mistaken," Sinha said.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar maintained that both Congress and BSP were responsible for the present state of affairs.

"Congress is responsible for not passing the amendment to the Land Acquisition Act while BSP is at fault for the total anarchy in the state where goondas are ruling and nobody has the right to live peacefully and protest peacefully," Javadekar said.

Naqvi, who was arrested along with Rajnath Singh and Jaitley, said Rahul Gandhi had "used the hut of a poor farmer for a photo-opportunity" yesterday during the dharna at Bhatta Parsaul village and alleged he was not serious about the welfare of the poor.

RLD chief Ajit Singh met rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to demand Centre's intervention on the farmers' agitation.

"The 1894 Land Acquisition Act which is still in force is the root cause of all these problems and a lot of talk is going on about amending it but nothing has happened," Singh said.

He said he had made several suggestions to Deshmukh on the issue.

"We want to redefine public purpose.... How the market price of land is decided. If the government does not use the land for the purpose it was taken, it should be returned," he said.

Ajit Singh pressed for time-bound decisions, determination of market price, definition of purpose and how to return the land.

"All government scams in the last 20 years have been land scams. Whether it is military land, farmers' land or flouting of environmental norms, taking over hills...," Singh said.

Though he admitted that there were several lacunae in the Land Acquisition Bill, he said it did not give Mayawati the right to pay farmers Rs 800 while "the government is getting Rs 11,000 and she herself is pocketing Rs 11,000".

Ramvilas Paswan demands sacking of UP govt

LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday demanded the dismissal of Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh over the issue of violence against farmers agitating for better compensation for their land in Greater Noida.

"We demand the dismissal of Mayawati government over the issue," Paswan said after he was arrested in the morning at Noida while attempting to enter Bhatta Parsaul village where farmers are protesting for enhanced compensation for land acquired for a road project.

He termed the BSP government of Uttar Pradesh "anti-Dalit and anti-poor."

Paswan was stopped by police at the DND flyover and prevented from proceeding towards the village, the epicentre of the protest.

Paswan said that it's time the Centre brings the proposed Land Acquisition Act and new Relief and Rehabilitation policy to effectively address compensation- related grievances of farmers across the country.

The LJP chief also demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to family members of each of the deceased farmers as well as Rs 10 lakh to those injured.