New Delhi: In a veiled attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Those projecting themselves as sympathisers of farmers and undertaking protests” had been using a 120-year-old law to acquire farmland for 60-65 years after Independence and were now targeting his government which was “trying to improve upon the Act of 2013”.

He underlined that the new Bill had the same compensation provisions as in the 2013 Act, and emphatically denied that the new measure was aimed at benefiting corporate houses.

During the 30-minute programme, he pointed out that the “no consent” provision in the proposed new law applies to acquisitions by the government for government or PPP projects and insisted that the same clause existed in the previous law.

“Rumours are being spread that Modi is bringing the law to reduce compensation. I can’t even think of committing such a sin. Such misinformation is being carried out for political reasons. You have to guard against them,” he said.

“I said in Parliament also that even now if somebody feels that something is still lacking, we are ready to make improvements. Our commitment is to ensure benefits for farmers through the Land Acquisition Act. So many lies are being spread. It is my fervent appeal to farmers not to make decisions on the basis of these lies. Don’t be misled,” he said.

Mr Modi said the enactment of the land acquisition law in 2013 during the UPA tenure was done in a “hurried” manner and the BJP, which was in opposition at that time, had supported it for the sake of farmers.

He said when his government had come to power, there were “voices” which said the law needed to be changed and improved upon. It was also noticed that for a year after being enacted, the law was not implemented, Mr Modi said.

“States like Maharashtra and Haryana, where Congress was in power and who claim to be sympathisers of farmers, implemented it but gave half the compensation than prescribed in the law,” he said.

Mr Modi said the “biggest lacuna” in the 2013 Act was that 13 aspects of government activity, like railways, national highways and mining, for which maximum land has to be acquired, were kept out of its ambit, meaning that compensation for acquiring land for these purposes would be paid on the basis of the 120-year-old law. “We corrected this and in the new Bill, these activities have been covered, and as a result, four-time compensation will be given for the land acquired,” he said.

The PM said the government also added one more element — that 20 per cent of land taken for development will go to the landowner and one member of the family will get a job, he said. Mr Modi said he feels “ashamed” at times over the “apathetic” condition of farmers, and promised to change the situation. He also rejected claims that the Bill was pro-corporate.