In Uttar Pradesh, BJP's internal tussle comes to the fore over Nazul Land Bill

Lucknow: In what was being perceived as yet another example of state government vs organisation (BJP) tussle in Uttar Pradesh, a Bill, which was intended to take over the Nazul Land across the state and which was already passed by the Vidhan Sabha got stuck up in the UP Legislative Council owing to the vociferous of several BJP MLAs and party leaders and had to be referred to the select committee.

The UP Nazul Properties (Management and Utilisation for Public Purposes) Bill 2024 was tabled in the Council on Thursday a day after it was passed by the Vidhan Sabha amid protests by the treasury and the opposition MLAs.

The Bill aimed to regulate the Nazul Land, which was owned by the government but was mostly under the possession of the individuals, and prevent its conversion into private ownership.

During the debate on the Bill in the Vidhan Sabha, several BJP legislators, including Harsh Vardhan Singh and Sidharth Nath Singh opposed the Bill saying that it would result in displacement of thousands of families which had been residing on the nazul land since the British period.

One BJP MLA told DH that the Bill, if passed and became a law, could result in a ''massive backlash'' and the party could suffer the consequences in the next assembly polls in 2027.

''It will give a huge issue to the opposition and we will not be able to counter them.....it will turn the people against us,'' he added.

According to the sources in the BJP, several saffron party MLAs and two deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brijech Pathak also met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and urged him to withdraw the Bill.

A decision was then taken to allow the Bill to be referred to the select committee when it was tabled in the Council on Thursday. State BJP president Bhupendra Choudhary, who was a member of the Council, urged the Chair to refer it to the select committee. The Council later referred it to the select committee.

Sources said that though the BJP leaders and several MLAs had opposed the Bill, it was passed in the Vidhan Sabha after the intervention of senior ministers. 

The issue once again brought to the fore the ongoing tussle between the government and the party organisation in the state and it came close on the heels of Maurya launching a veiled attack on Adityanath at the recent state BJP executive committee meeting here over what he said ignoring ordinary party workers.