Ranchi: Jharkhand Disom Party (JDP) and its sister outfit Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan - a collective of over 40 tribal outfits - will enforce a statewide bandh on Monday to protest against the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Jharkhand Amendment) Bill 2017.

So far, the state government is yet to confirm if President Ram Nath Kovind has given his seal to the contentious bill that tribal leaders and the Opposition feel would make the position of tribal land owners shaky.

But, BJP state chief Laxman Gilua on Sunday said, "We learnt from our sources that the President has given his consent. The amended law will come into force soon." Gilua added "forces opposed to Jharkhand's positive growth were misleading the masses against the bill".

On his bandh call, JDP president Salkhan Murmu told The Telegraph on Sunday that there was no point in waiting for a clarification from the state government. "The President will approve the bill sooner or later as the state government has clarified its stand on objections raised by the agriculture ministry. Our job is to ensure this law never comes into force. Why should we wait and watch?" he asked.

The JDP and Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan proposed the bandh on Saturday and urged JMM and others to back them. This, in turn, had prompted JMM executive president and leader of the Opposition Hemant Soren to give a 24-hour ultimatum to the Raghubar Das government to say if the President had approved the bill.

Hemant also announced convening a meeting of the Opposition parties opposed to the new land bill - that will eliminate the need for social impact assessments if land is acquired for "public purpose" - on Monday.

The new bill also does away with the need of consent of 70 per cent of landowners for such projects. Only in scheduled areas would consent of gram sabhas be compulsory.

But, BJP state chief Gilua told this paper that Opposition parties were misleading people with rumours that Adivasis and moolvasis would lose land and property after this law came into force. "The fact is this will pave way for positive growth of Jharkhand," Gilua told the media.

Extolling the virtues of the new bill, he said land would be acquired only for public welfare projects such as roads, anganwadis, schools and hospitals. Farmland up to 25 per cent of an area could be acquired only if inevitable. In scheduled areas the consent of gram sabha concerned will be taken. Land donors would get four times the market price. "Now Hemant Soren should explain how we will transfer acres to industrialists through this law. I am ready for an open debate."

But, JMM and JDP are in no mood to budge. On Sunday, JMM workers led by Antu Tirkey held a meeting at Sodag in Namkum and asked villagers to start protesting.

On the power of mass agitations, Salkhan Murmu said sustained campaigns by the JDP and other tribal outfits led governor Droupadi Murmu to reject proposed amendments in CNT and SPT Acts. "If Hemant supports us (on this new land bill issue), he may become the next chief minister," the former MP said.