Bihar CM Nitish to take Hazare route with fast against land bill

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will sit on a 24-hour fast in state capital Patna on Saturday as part of his Janata Dal (United)'s stir against the controversial land acquisition bill.

State JD (U) president Basistha Narayan Singh would also participate in the fast to be held at the party headquarters, spokesman Neeraj Kumar said today.

State parliamentary affairs minister Shrawan Kumar told PTI that JD (U) MPs, MLAs and office-bearers would take part in the fast to be observed across the state against the bill.

Kumar had strongly protested against the land acquisition bill introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in Parliament, terming it a 'black law' and demanding its immediate recall.

"The bill seems to have taken the heart out of the legislation prepared in 2013 by the UPA government," he had said, and declared that Bihar would not implement it "at any cost".

Kumar had also supported the agitation of social worker Anna Hazare over the bill recently in Delhi.

In fact, the land acquisition bill will not have the smooth sailing in the Rajya Sabha like the insurance bill, which raises the ceiling on foreign investment in the sector, had - the Congress has a large majority in the upper house and almost all other political parties oppose it.