New Delhi: Charging that the economic system of the country was being "driven" to serve the interests of the corporate sector, noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan Sunday hit out at the Narendra Modi government over its new Land Acquisition Bill.
"The economic system is being driven in the direction where the profit routes are cleared (for) private companies, foreign companies -- be it the land acquisition Bill or environmental regulation," Bhushan said at the 8th National Conference of the All India Students' Association (AISA).
"The previous Congress government made a crucial change in the land acquisition law in 2013, when they said that the approval of 70-80 percent of the people would be required for acquisition.
"But as soon as the Modi 'sarkar' came to power, through an Ordinance, he changed the law and said that for the public- private partnership and infrastructure projects... There is no need of any approval or any social impact assessment," said Bhushan, a founding member of AAP who was recently expelled from its ranks following an internal dispute.
Bhushan also criticised the judicial system after invoking the imprisonment of disabled Delhi University professor, GN Saibaba.
"There is no allegation against Professor Saibaba that he has committed any violence. The allegation is that he supported some Maoist organisations.
"There is no proof, no trial has been started against him till now. He has more than 80 percent disability and he is wheelchair bound."
"Saibaba has been denied bail twice, but this judicial system grants bail to Salman Khan, who has been convicted, grants bail to (former Gujarat minister) Maya Kodnani, who has been sentenced to 28 years in prison, grants bail to Jayalalithaa," he said.
Noted women right's activist Kavita Krishnan, who took part in the event, slammed the reforms and changes introduced by the current government.
"The people who are at the helm -- previously the UPA government and, now, especially the government of Modi -- are trying to destroy the meaning of things," said Krishnan.
The two-day conference, which began today, was also attended by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Dipankar Bhattacharya, and President of the Delhi University Teachers' Association, Nandita Narain.
