Sonia Gandhi Leads Opposition March to Rashtrapati Bhawan Against Land Bill Tuesday March 17,2015

Land Acquisition Bill unites Opposition, Sonia Gandhi leads protest march

More than 100 MP's led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi have begun a march from Parliament House to the Rashtrapati Bhawan less than a km away, in protest against the government's land reforms

Over 100 Opposition MPs from major political parties, including the JD(U), Samajwadi Party, Trinamul Congress, CPI and CPM, NCP, AAP and INLD, marched the 1-km distance over Raisina Hill to the presidential estate.

As Opposition members - including the Congress, NCP, SP, JD(U), RJD, TMC and Left parties -covered a distance of a kilometre from the Parliament to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it became clear that the government will find it difficult to pass the legislation in the Upper House before March 20, when the Parliament breaks for a month

The Opposition threatened to court arrest if they were prevented by the police. But the government soon relented and claimed no restrictions were placed in the area

The government intervened to allow the protest march after the Delhi police declared that the lawmakers could not collect at Parliament House as the area is under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which prohibits the assembly of more than four persons, when Parliament is in session.

A letter from the Delhi Police said under the circumstances, "it is requested that the Honourable members of Parliament may be advised not to proceed to R.P. Bhavan."

Sonia Gandhi will lead a delegation that includes members of parties like the Janata Dal (United), the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Left Front, DMK, Trinamool Congress and others. At the end of the march, they will hand over a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee.

Leaders like JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav and NCP's Praful Patel said they ready to court arrest when informed about the Delhi Police letter prohibiting the march.

The Congress, which helped pass the Insurance Bill in Rajya Sabha, has refused to back the land bill.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi with delegation of opposition parties leaders meeting President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi over the controversial Land Acquisition Bill

The party says it can only support the 2013 version of the bill, which was formulated with a broad consensus of all parties, including the BJP, during its rule at the centre. Or then, says the Congress, the current bill must be sent to a parliamentary committee for review

Note
Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) stayed away from the walk, as it was being led by Sonia, as did the AIADMK and Biju Janata Dal (BJD)
This is the first time the Opposition parties have joined forces in such large numbers against the BJP-led Modi government since the Lok Sabha election in May 2014