New Delhi, March 20 (IANS): The contentious land acquisition bill will be taken up in the upper house only in the second phase of the budget session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday.

"Land acquisition bill will be taken up in Rajya Sabha in phase two of the budget session," Naidu said, adding the next course of action is yet to be decided, and the bill is not a "prestige issue" for the government.

The minister said the land ordinance was a collective demand of the states.

"Let me assure you and political parties that the government does not stand on prestige in this regard. We have brought some amendments that are all in interest of farmers so as to take all parties on board," Naidu said at a press conference following the end of the first half of the budget session.

"I want to reiterate that the exemptions to the Land Act of 2013 made by us were clearly intended to serve the interest of rural areas, farmers and the country at large. I only hope that we will be able to take it forward and bring around borader political consensus in this regard," he said.

"We will decide on the next course of action with regards to land bill in due course."