The name of Anna Hazare will send shivers down the spine of any government for his agitation against corruption ultimately resulted in both the Congress and BJP facing humiliating defeats at the hands of a Party spawned off by his campaign.
Is it any wonder then that the farmers of the new capital region in AP are planning to rope in Anna Hazare for support against land acquisition?
The capital area ryots will leave for Delhi on February 21 to participate in the two-day protest planned by Anna Hazare at Jantar Mantar against the amendments to the new land acquisition Act. The agitation is scheduled for February 23.
Scores of farmers from riverfront villages have sought Anna Hazare's support as the amended Act is likely to be invoked by AP government to build the capital city after acquiring agricultural land from agricultural lands from them.
Local farmers said the Centre had hurriedly brought the ordinance only at the behest of AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union urban development minister M Venkayya Naidu to facilitate forcible acquisition of green fields for the capital city.
If Anna Hazare comes out in support of the farmers then it will become a national issue. And the NDA will be loath to go against the wishes of Anna Hazare keeping in mind what the latter is capable of!
In fact, the NDA might welcome Anna’s intervention in this matter for using this pretext they will be spared of allotting the huge funds which Naidu is asking for his new capital.
