Ranchi: The opposition parties are set to corner the Jharkhand government over various issues, including the proposed changes in the two land Acts and three police firing incidents, during the winter session of the state assembly which begins on Thursday.
The assembly session is likely to be disrupted as the opposition parties, including the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), have made it clear they will oppose any bill to amend the two land Acts — the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNTA) and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act (SPTA).
“The CNT and SPT Acts are soul of the tribal and Moolvasi people. We want to make it clear that if the BJP government led by Raghubar Das attempts to bring any changes in both the Acts, the House will not be functional even for one second,” JMM executive president Hemant Soren told the media.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government wants to push the amendments in the two land Acts at any cost.
The Jharkhand government brought the ordinance in June this year which was sent to the President by Governor Draupdi Murmu for his assent. The ordinance is pending with the President.
BJP alliance partner All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) is also opposing the amendments to the two land Acts.
The Congress has also announced it will oppose the bill. “The Congress will oppose any bill to amend the two land Acts. The party will fight for the cause of tribal people and will not allow the state government to grab their land for industrial purposes,” said Jharkhand state Congress President Sukhdeo Bhagat.
Besides land Acts, the opposition parties will also raise the issue of three police firings in the state within two months.
The Jharkhand government has not accepted the opposition parties’ demand to institute judicial probe into the police firings, in which seven persons were killed.
The first police firing took place in September, killing two persons at Gola in Ramgarh district. The firing occurred as the villagers were demanding proper compensation for acquired land.
The second police firing took place in Barkagao of Hazaribagh on October 1, which left four persons dead.
The villagers were protesting land acquisition by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for coal block mining.
At least one person was killed in the third police firing in Khuti district in October.
Jharkhand is witnessing large scale protests over the amendments in the two land Acts, land acquisition and the incidents of police firing.
