Populism must not be allowed at the cost of development

Populism must not be allowed to have its way because every move must not be aimed at only how to win elections. In democracy, to win elections are the first priority of the political party but for that matter the government must decide the priority keeping in view the benefit of the people. The people of the country thought that UPA in its second consecutive innings at the Centre in power will not be remote controlled by the political ally like CPI(M) boss Prakash Karat but to the disappointment of all the UPA-2 is faced with more rigid and maverick ally like Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Bannerjee. This was reflected in the last Cabinet meeting over the issue of Land Acquisition(Amendment)and Rehabilitation Bill 2007 when Mamata Bannerjee showed her tantrums the Cabinet meeting by opposing it fiercely. Mamata Bannerjee is opposed to any role of state in land acquisition for industry. She is dead against UPA being seen as “pro land acquisition ahead of 2011 West Bengal polls.If govt. is to help acquire land, say for SEZ, firms must first buy 70 percent at market rate, if need be, government will deal with ‘holdouts’ in remaining 30 per cent. Bill stresses resettlement berfore displacement; compensation is average of land price of last three years, plus 60 per cent of that value. Social impact assessment must if acquisition leads to displacement of 200 families in tribal areas, 400 families in plains. If land not used in five years, it reverts to government. Because she sees her loss of vote bank in her home state West Bengal where on the issue of Land acquisition in Nadigram and Singur for the industrialisation of the state, she had opposed vehemently and led the opposition of land acquisition in Nandigram and Singur from the front.She buit up mass support base and on the strength of that agitations, she trounced the Left front in its own den. She drove away Tata from Singur where it was to set up Car factory to manufacture the cheapest car the Nano. It was her fierce opposition and mass mobilisation on land acquisition that Tata had to leave the state. West Bengal Assembly election is going to be held in 2011 and Mamata Bannerjee has set her eyes on it and would try her best to defeat the ruling Left Front. Congress is the alliance partner of Trinamool but it also leads the UPA government at the Centre. It has to take developmental issue on priority basis and if the move of industrialisation will be opposed in this way what we can expect from the government. The industry will be set up on the ground and not in the space. It will need land primarily and if the land could not be made available how would the indutrialists set up industry. The Trinamool Congress chief is understood to have opposed a major provision in the bill which provides for private developers acquiring 70 per cent of the land for a proposed industrial project directly from the farmers and land-owners. The remaining 30 per cent is to be acquired by the state government, the bill proposes. Banerjee is understood to have strongly demanded penal provisions to check the use of money and muscle power by private developers while acquiring land from the farmers. The Trinamool Congress is of the view that these legislations fall short of protecting poor farmers as their rehabilitation and resettlement is not fully guaranteed by the provisions. The old law regarding Land acquisition of 1884 is that land can be acquired only by the government for its purposes. The land can be acquired only for government purposes. But the Land Acqusition (Amendment) Bill 2007 allows the industrialist to acquire 70 percent land directly with the landowners and 30 remains in government’s domain to take permission. The majority of the people are of the view that the law regarding land acquisition for industrialisation must be made to benefit the citizens who are displaced for setting up industry. THe rehabilitation of the displaced people must be made before their displacement.