Cong guarded over bataidari' i

Posted at 12:20, 2010-Nov-17

PATNA: The Congress on Thursday sought to fish in troubled waters by saying though it was all for land reforms, it didn't support the "Nitish formula" on the bataidari bill' (sharecroppers' bill). The party said it stood for all sections Audemars Piguet Watches of the society and wanted to allay the apprehensions of landowners on the issue.

The fear of losing their land to bataidars' (sharecroppers) is said to have alienated a section of landowning people from the ruling JD(U)-BJP government ever since a Land Reforms Commission headed by D Bandopadhay submitted its report sometime ago, recommending sharecroppers be given tenancy rights on the land they tilled. Though the enactment of the law was put on hold by the state government amid a chorus of protest by landholders, in the run-up to the polls it is being said the move could be revived by the government if it was voted to power again.

Former state JD(U) president and rebel party MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh, who was once a close confidant of CM Nitish Kumar, on Wednesday issued an appeal to landholders to be wary of Nitish Kumar's intentions and obliquely urged them to vote for the Congress.

However, state Congress chief spokesman Premchand Mishra said, "The party is committed to land reforms, but it doesn't support the Nitish line. It is our view that no law should be enacted without allaying the fears of a section of society."

Former chief minister and JD(U) leader Jagannath Mishra took exception to Lallan Singh's appeal on Wednesday and said that the Land Reforms Commission had not made any recommendation regarding sharecroppers' rights that didn't already exist in the tenancy laws passed from time to time during the successive Congress governments.

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The ex-CM recalled it was under the Congress governments that the Abolition of Zamindari Act and Land Ceiling Act were passed. Several amendments to tenancy laws were also made from over time. He pointed out that the Land Reforms Commission had merely recommended steps for strict implementation of laws for enforcement of sharecroppers' rights.

Meanwhile, opinions are divided over whether the bataidari bill' could become an emotive poll issue among landholders. Upendra Sharma, a retired college teacher of Mokama in Patna district, said, "The Bataidari bill must be implemented, but small landholders should be kept out of its purview. People are indeed concerned over the issue. Without providing alternative job opportunities, the government should not snatch the means of livelihood or supplementing income from a large number of people."

Ashok Kumar Singh, a farmer of Pachvir NFL jerseys village in Begusarai district, and Murari Narain Chaudhary, an advocate with interests in land, said there was resentment among landowning people earlier, but they had now decided to bury the hatchet and unitedly back the present government. People are in favour of giving Nitish Kumar a second chance. "The Bataidari bill issue would be taken up with the government at a later stage, if necessary," Chaudhary said.

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