Something should be done for farmers' welfare: Digvijay

New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) All India Congress Committee (AICC)

general secretary Digvijay Singh today said ''something should be

done for the welfare of farmers.''

He was addressing the farmers from Uttar Pradesh, particularly
from national capital region (NCR), demanding immediate annulment of
Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and enactment of Land Acquisition
Amendment Act, 2007, which is pending for a considerable time.

Mr Singh said the UPA government was mulling over this and has
had several discussion with the ministers concerned, but Railway
Minister Mamata Banerjee had objected to some of the provisions.

''We are in talks with Ms Banerjee and will come to some common
ground with her very soon,'' he said.

Rapping the Mayawati government for ignoring farmers, he asserted
that if Haryana government could secure the land of its farmers, why
cannot UP government.

''India is a democratic state and one should have the right to
sell one's property (land) on the price one wants to,'' Mr Singh
said.

Member of Parliament Vasudev Acharya condemned the government for
acquiring the land from farmers on very low prices and re-selling it
to the businessmen and builders on higher prices. ''There is no
rehabilitation policy for the farmers,'' he added.

Zameen Adhigrahan Pratirodh Andolan coordinator Sardaram Bhatti
said land was being acquired on agriculture rates and were sold to
builders on market rate which was ten times higher than the
agriculture rate.

''We demand that the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 be annulled
and Land Acquisition Amendment Act, 2007 be enacted with immediate
effect,'' Mr Bhatti said.

Twenty five per cent land should also be returned to the farmers
for residential purposes, he added.

The agitators also handed over a memorandum to Mr Singh urging
him to look into the matter.