September 16, 2026 02:14 pm (IST)
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Sonia leads protest march to Rashtrapati Bhawan against land bill
New Delhi, Mar 17 (IBNS): Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who led the protest march of United Opposition against the land bill in the national capital on Tuesday, said all progressive forces came together to protest against "BJP's Land Snatching Ordinance."
"All progressive forces have come together to oppose Modi-government's amendment to the Land Acquisition Act, " she said after the march.
"Thousands of farmers walked alongside Smt. Sonia Gandhi today to fight for their rights over their land and against the tyranny of BJP," INC tweeted.
MPs from at least ten opposition parties of Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), CPI-M, CPI and the Left, marched from the Parliament to Rashtraparti Bhawan.
"Kisaan March of opposition MPs, led by Smt. Gandhi, signifies dawn of a new era in espousing the cause of farmers cutting across ideologies," INC posted.
They reportedly urged President Pranab Mukherjee not allow the government go ahead with the bill, saying it would badly hurt the interests of farmers.
On Monday, Congress workers clashed with police as the party held a massive demonstration in the capital against the land bill.
Police had used water cannons to disperse the huge mob that broke open barricades to march towards Parliament.
The protest march was the culmination of the one that started at Bhatta-Parsaul in Uttar Pradesh early this month and reached Rajghat on Monday morning.
Heavyweight Congress leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Ahmed Patel and Jairam Ramesh were among others who took part in the march.
The Congress is fiercely opposing any amendment to the existing land law which the BJP-led NDA government proposes to bring in. Other opposition parties have also described the bill as "pro-corporate and anti-farmer."
The party had said it can only support the 2013 version of the bill, which was formulated with a broad consensus of all parties. It demands the current version of the bill to be sent to a parliamentary committee.
The bill was passed in Lok Sabha on March 10 after the government incorporated nine amendments and two clauses.
However, the BJP is in the minority in the Rajya Sabha where the bill has to be passed as well. A failure to pass the bill will lead to a lapse of the land ordinance the government promulgated last year.
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