New Delhi: Keeping up his combative stance on new Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill proposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is likely to protest with home buyers at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Monday.
Earlier, he met organisations representing home-buyers at the Congress headquarters to discuss concerns regarding the Bill. Rahul called the bill anti-consumers as it allegedly dilutes penalties for late delivery of homes. The bill also allegedly does not safeguard against money being diverted from one project to another.
"Government, which has been working against farmers and tribals, is working against the middle class in the same manner," he had told reporters after meeting several NCR flat buyers.
He said he would fight for the home buyers the way he has stood by farmers and tribals. "I have assured them that the way I am helping the poor and the tribals, I will do the same for the middle class. I will stand by them."
With Rahul upping the ante on the amended bill, the fate of the bill listed for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha on May 5 has become uncertain as the NDA does not have the numbers in the Upper House to ensure its passage.
Rahul said that he had learnt that it is not just farmers and tribals but also the middle class people that are suppressed on matters related to land.
"They are told that you will get the flat on a particular day but for years they don't get the flat. They are told the super duper area of the flat would be so much but what is delivered is different," he said.
The Congress has decided to take the issue of changes brought about by the NDA government in the Real Estate Bill to people and bring out the "contrast" between UPA's Real Estate Bill and NDA's legislation on the line of what it did in the case of the land acquisition Act.
Congress' argument is that in the earlier bill, the carpet area was defined in a clear and unambiguous manner as "net usable area" in an apartment excluding the walls.
"It has been amended now with an explanation that the 'net usable area' will be 'rentable area' as defined in National Building Code 2005 or its later versions. This means that an area has been defined in such a manner that it will further confuse the buyer and the area as defined has been linked to the Building Code which can be amended later even without coming to Parliament," the party said.
Congress is also arguing that while in the earlier bill, the builders were not allowed to change the sanctioned plan once approved and the project is launched, now the builders can undertake "minor alterations" just by intimating the buyer and the extent or type of minor alteration is not defined.
(With inputs from PTI)
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