Govt compelled to take ordinance route: Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi: With Opposition parties criticising the government for taking the ordinance route, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu today said the government was left with no option and was compelled to do so due to “obstructionist attitude” of the Congress.

The Minister also said that two diametrically opposite approaches were playing out in the country. While the government's initiative is ‘Making India' through ‘Make in India', the other is of the adversaries to ‘Mar India' by seeking to stall all legislative initiatives. “Our government has been compelled to come out with Ordinances on important issues like hiking FDI limit in capital-starved insurance sector, auctioning of coal blocks and enabling land acquisition for infrastructure and housing projects,” he said.

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Congress has slammed the government over the Ordinance to amend Land Acquisition Act within a week after end of Parliament session alleging that the ordinance government approved for changes in Land Acquisition Act was to “dilute” its benefit to favour “corporates”.

JD(U) has also demanded its immediate withdrawal failing which it threatened a nationwide stir by the Janata Parivar.

Government had yesterday recommended promulgation of an ordinance making significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act including removal of consent clause for acquiring land for five areas of industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence. Naidu said, “Legislation through Ordinance is a constitutionally valid mechanism. Article 123 of our Constitution empowers the President of India to issue Ordinances in exceptional circumstances.”

He said no government will normally resort to issuing Ordinances unless and otherwise compelled to do so. “In our case, our government had been left with no other option but to issue ordinances given the urgency in the matters that I have referred to.”

Blaming the Congress, he said, “This situation has been created by the negative and obstructionist attitude of the Congress in Parliament.”

Sharpening his attack, Naidu said, “Currently, two diametrically opposite approaches are playing out in our country. One is of our government which is keen about ‘Making India' through ‘Make in India' and other initiatives.  “Opposite to this is that of our political adversaries.

Their attitude is clearly ‘Mar India' by seeking to stall all legislative initiatives of our government.”Referring to frequent disruptions in Rajya Sabha, Naidu said, “The way Rajya Sabha was held to ransom during winter session by Congress was indeed very unfortunate. The party preferred to sabotage legislation on providing much-required relief to the insurance sector and taking forward the process of auction of coal blocks which is very critical to power sector.”

Justifying the need for Land Ordinance, he said, “Several state governments including those ruled by Congress expressed difficulties with the Act passed by UPA government. They wanted amendments to the Act so that difficulties in land acquisition are eased out so infrastructure and other developmental projects can be speeded up.”

“I have no hesitation in asserting that there is a clear conspiracy being hatched in the country against the development agenda of our government,” he said.“People of our country are fed up with hollow political slogans and desperately want development so that their aspirations can be fulfilled.  

“Keeping this in view, we will not allow anti-development conspiracies to succeed.We will do all that is required within the framework of the law and our Constitution to carry forward the task of making a new India,” he said.