<div>Consensus continues to elude the joint committee of Parliament on land bill. This was primarily the reason why the key meeting on the bill, scheduled for Thursday (30 July), has been deferred. The next meeting when the committee will take up the bill clause by clause, will be held on Monday.</div><div> </div><div>A non-BJP member of the 30-member committee told Businessworld that the panel head was still trying to arrive at some sort of understanding with the Opposition members on the panel.</div><div> </div><div>After the committee chairman S S Ahluwalia had called up Opposition members on Wednesday, Congress’s K V Thomas told Businessworld that his party was for “the middle ground”, as opposed to the Left and the Trinamool which are for total withdrawal of the bill.</div><div> </div><div>The BJP’s current predicament is due to its ally Shiv Sena’s belligerent stance that has moved amendments on the bill. Sena’s Anandrao Adsul had also attended a strategy session at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar that was attended by other Opposition party representatives.</div><div> </div><div>BJP can take heart from the fact that ally LJP has vowed to support it, while TDP also might go with it.</div><div> </div><div>The NDA commands support of 14 members on the joint committee – 11 of the BJP, and one each of the Telugu Desam Party, Lok Jan Shakti Party and the Shiv Sena.</div>
