I was made Shikhandi in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, said Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today,alleging that he was made the scapegoat in issues related to land acquisition in areas with forest cover and tribal population. While land acquisition would be at the core of the issue,shots were aimed at it from the environment and forest angle, said the former environment minister. In the epic Mahabharata,Shikhandi was used as a shield by Arjuna against Bhishma. Ramesh asserted that the new draft Land Acquisition Bill being prepared by his ministry would strike a balance between the requirement of land for industrialisation and ensuring transparency and fairness in compensation to land owners.
