BJP MPs on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj boycotted its meeting in protest against the presence of activist Medha Patkar and actor-turned-activist Prakash Raj. The two were invited to depose before the panel in a meeting set up to discuss the implementation and effectiveness of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

The meeting was eventually cancelled, while ruling party MPs alleged that the committee’s chairman, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka (a Congress MP from Odisha), kept the members in the dark about the witnesses summoned for deposition—Patkar and Raj.

They also alleged that the chairperson had summoned “anti-national” and “urban Naxals.” In response, Ulaka said that the Lok Sabha Speaker’s office had cleared the names, but the BJP leaders “were not ready to listen.”

The parliamentary panel consists of 29 members, of which 14 were present on Tuesday, while eight MPs from the BJP-led NDA boycotted the meeting. It was because of this boycott that the chairperson had to cancel the meeting, as there was no quorum. BJP sources also suggest that apart from party allies, Janata Dal (Secular) leaders and former MP H.D. Deve Gowda also followed the boycott, which Congress sources deny.

Statements fro MP

“We boycotted the meeting because we were kept in the dark about who was coming as witnesses. We entered and saw Medha sitting there. We should have been given the list of these people and which NGOs they belong to. Why did the chairperson keep such information from us?” BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal told national media. “We were very clear that we would not allow the activist to depose first,” Jaiswal further added.

“It was not decided in any of the meetings who would come to the parliamentary committee. Prakash Raj’s name was not in the list. Why should we listen to someone whose background we don’t know?” said BJP MP Raju Bista.

Responding to the same, Ulaka told national media, “We’ve had such meetings several times. It is a normal procedure. The agenda was set; officers from the ministries concerned and stakeholders, including those working in NGOs and other civil society representatives, were invited. The Speaker’s office was informed, and the list was approved. However, when they saw Medha Patkar, they, in a synchronised way, started shouting, ‘She should not be allowed.’ I told them just to listen to her, as she is someone who has been fighting for the landless people and their rehabilitation… What’s wrong with listening to her? The committee prepares the report together and submits our recommendations to the government. It’s the government that takes the decision—we do not.”