The ruling BJP faced embarrassment in the Legislative Assembly today when party lawmaker Sukhnandan Choudhary created a ruckus over ‘forcible’ acquisition of farmers’ land for the proposed Ring Road project in the Jammu region.
Choudhary trooped into the well of the House before staging a walkout over, what he alleged, the government’s inhuman attitude by snatching the livelihood of over 1,500 farmers of the Jammu plains.
As Choudhary, a former minister and two-time MLA from the Marh constituency, was raising slogans against the forcible acquisition of land, NC lawmaker Devendra Singh Rana seized the opportunity to taunt BJP ministers for bartering Jammu’s interest to enjoy power.
“Choudhary Saheb agay badho hum apke saath hai,” Rana and some other Opposition members shouted to encourage the BJP lawmaker who was mincing no words in attacking his own government for acquiring land from helpless farmers.
“The protest by veteran lawmaker Sukhnandan Choudhary is an eye-opener for BJP ministers. Anger is brewing among people of Jammu against the discriminatory policies being propagated by this dispensation,” Rana said. “The days are not far when all BJP legislators will be forced to stage a protest against their own government, especially against their own ministers,” he said.
Earlier, when National Conference and Congress members were protesting against the Speaker’s verdict to disallow their adjournment motion, BJP lawmaker Sukhnandan Choudhary also trooped into the well and raised slogans against the government.
“This government is playing with the lives of poor farmers,” he the BJP lawmaker shouted. As the government paid no heed, Sukhnandan staged a walkout.
Over 1,500 farmers of the Jammu region are on the warpath against the alleged forcible acquisition of their most fertile land by the authorities for the proposed Jammu Ring Road project, by offering them meagre compensation as compared to the existing market price.
Another BJP legislator Rajiv Sharma from Akhnoor also embarrassed his party after he sought to draw the Speaker’s attention towards the selection list of junior assistant in which the Jammu region was completely ignored.
BJP red-faced as MLA walks out over ‘Forcible’ land acquisition in Jammu
