Information Bulletin 15

cpi maoist information bulletin

Govt : The Biggest Terrorist. The Adivasi uprising

BY puclmangalore
The advice to Maoists to give up violence would go down better if were accompanied by the economic package as well.
By: Kuldip Nayar
Tamer is a small Adivasi village in the deep jungles of Chhattisgarh. Two tribal farmers from the village are fighting a loosing battle against a young congress MP. He has forcible built a factory on their fields, spread over 10 acres. He belongs to an industrialist scion from Haryana.
One farmer, possessing one and a half acres, is a policeman who has resigned from his job to devote all his time to get back the land. He and other farmer having seven and a half acres of a land, often travel 400 km to Raipur, the state capital to knock at the door of top officials because the farmers have got no justice at the district headquarters Raigarh.
Both have been dubbed ‘Maoists’ though, in this case, they are merely fighting for their land. Prim minister Manmohan sing has characterized Maoists as the “ single biggest internal security challenge” to India the two farmers have nothing to do with the Maoists and Naxalites . But since the Maoists have evoked revulsion in the last few months after slaughtering 24 policeman in West Bengal , and 12 villagers in Bihar, the government finds it convenient to call the 2 farmers Maoists to divert attention from the forcible occupation of the land. But they are not an exception.
I met at Raipur this week many tribal’s who had been ousted from their land -and villages- to make room for industrialists of different climes, Indian and foreign, to exploit the natural resources like coal and iron ore. The state government has signed as many as 105 MoUs. The ragtag force of Sulwa Judum is an armed private outfit that the government has constituted to drive out tribals by force.
Some of the uprooted tribal’s , num bering 2 lakh , have crossed over from Chhattisgarh to the jungles in Maharashtra, Orissa and Andra Prades. Many are yet to be rehabilitated(40000 are still in camps ). Tribals could have used their poisoned arrows to defend themselves as they have done in the past.
The national Human Rights commission gave a critical report against the treatment meted out to tribals. On the basis of the report, the supreme court has instructed the Chhattisgarh government to rehabilitate the dispossessed Adivasis. Every collector has been asked to rehabilitate the disposed. But there is no action yet.
An overwhelming number of tribals, roughly 84 million or 8.2per cent of India’s population, are not with the Maoists in their rebellion against the state. But what option do tribals have when they find the Maoists equipped with latest weapons threatening them? Tribals are also victims of lack of development and corruption. In fact, they find themselves caught between the government’s neglect and the Maoists’ gun.
Basic needs
Tribals want to return to their old life when the forest provided them with everything they needed. They had then ‘jal’ (water), ‘zamin’ (land) and the bounty of jungle. In fact, that is their demand and they agitate to have them back. They are too innocent for the mechanizations –and brute force-of the nexus between the government and the corporate sector.
The Maoists have only made things more difficult for them because their war cry and their violence have driven the state to adopt fascist tactics. Unthinkingly, New Delhi has given its operation the nomenclature of Green Hunt. If at all it is a hunt, it is of the Red and it endangers whatever the green s left. The ravages of operation through the jungles can be devastating. The innocent will bear the brunt.
I also met Dr. Vinayak Sen at Raipur. He is president of the Chhattisgarh’s PUCL. He is a doctor who has spent two years in jail. I did not see anything violent either in his deeds or words. Why the government took umbrage against his fight for civil rights of the suppressed tribal’s is not understandable. Such people should be given recognition for the good work they are doing to retrieve the people from the Maoists’ clutches.
The crisis of Indian politics, as I see, is a crisis of change. It reflects the widening gap between the base of polity and its structure. Both politics, as I see, is a crisis of change. It reflects the widening gap between the base of polity and its structures. Both political and economic processes have brought sections of the peripheral and deprived social strata in the open without the rulers doing anything about it.
Home minister P Chidambaram may be able to suppress the Maoists by employing the huge apparatus the government has built in the name of law and order, a state subject. But he should realize that some other Maoists will come up if the 70 per cent of people remain poor and if the disparities between the people and the areas do not get narrower.
Chidambaram’s advice to the Maoists to give up violence would go down better if he were to announce the economic package as well. He must have seen how the movement confined to a few villages in West Bengal some 50 years ago has spread to Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
Political parties have to tear a leaf from the book of the Maoists. Today they have come to represent a social economic change in the country. They alone talk about such an agenda. What they do not realise is that they will be a big force to reckon with if they take to electoral politics.
PUCL
DATE: 02-04-2010

PROTEST AGAINST THERMAL POWER PLANT IN FERTILE LAND

RECIEVED VIA MAIL

IPC section 307,143,147,322,427,435,332,337,357,504……. These many sections are not against any antisocial elements. It is against farmers of Honnakiranagi, Firozabad, and Nadisinnur villages of Gulbarga District, Karnataka. Their Offence? They protested against land acquisition for Thermal Power plant.

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa oftenly says that “ his government will not occupy the fertile land for industries”. But it is only in his words; deeds show a different picture. Honnakiranagi, Firozabad, and Nadisinnur villages are located 22 -25 km from Gulbarga District closer to Gulbarga – Bangalore highway. More than 1500 acres of land has been marked for setup of 1000 – 1320 megawatt thermal power plant.

361 acres in Firozabad.

785 Acres in Honnakiranagi.

368 Acres in Nadisinnur.

All the land that has been marked is fertile where they cultivate jowar, red gram, sunflower. Fertility of this land has been certified by former Gulbarga DC Satyamurthy [ letter dated 03/09/2009; 296/08-09]. He states in that letter to Revenue department that the people are unwilling to vacate their land and more over the land is fertile; so the acquisition at this stage is a difficult task. He was transferred within a month and new DC Dr. Vishal took the charge who is a puppet for Government’s antiagrarian policies.

About 15000 people are dependent on this land. People of these villages are staging protests from long time. Karnataka raitha sangha, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Karnataka sainya are supporting the cause. Former Karnataka Labour Mininster is leading from the front.

Kiranagi renamed Honnakiranagi

There is an interesting story behind renaming of this village. During Indo – China war then Karnataka CM Veerendra Patil visited this village for collection of funds. 101 tola [ one tola = 12g] of gold was arranged from villagers within a span of one hour and donated it to CM. Surprised by the prosperity of this village he called it as Honnakiranag[Honna = honnu = gold].

The prosperity is because of the fertile land in this area which has not betrayed them even when the rainfall was below average. As Annaveerappa, engineer turned agriculturist , says the market value of each acre is 6 – 7 lakh in interior and 10- 12 lakh near the mainroad and the government has fixed a mere amount of 2 lakh per acre. Does that mean that they are ready to leave their land for more compensation? “No” he says firmly “ their compensation is for the owners of the land. What about the life of agricultural labourers? What about the people whose occupation is dependent on agriculture?” Job for one is guaranteed…….. “Whats the use” Shivaling interrupted “ most of us are unskilled and untrained for factory work where computers and newer technologies plays a major role. What job we will get? Labour? If the construction project goes to an Andhra company even labaourers will come from there. Moreover only one will get a job whereas inground we have joint families where land though owned by one feeds many families.” The compensation given once, they say is a mere amount when compared to the yield that they get from the fertile lands.

208 owners of the land attended a meeting called by the DC out of which only 2 were willing to hand over their land, one of them is a lawyer [ Mashak Patel] and other his brother [ Rehman Patel] DC Vishal informed the agitators that he will send the report to higher authorities but on the next day itself sent a team to the villages to conduct a survey. There was a clash between the farmers and surveyors in the field. All the above said IPC’s were against the 5 arrested on 19/04/2010 – Arun Kumar Patil Of Karnataka rakshana vedike, Basavaraj Sunar, LAteef Saab Jaagerdar, Sharanu Konun, Shivu Julphi. But the police under the instructions by DC did not lodge any complaint against the surveyors even though they assaulted the farmers. Arrested farmers have started Satyagraha in jail premises.

On Feb 24^th 2010 50 farmers accompanied by S. K. Kantha met CM in Bangalore where CM promised them that the fertile land will not be grabbed. Surprisingly villagers of Binajagi, Kanni, Tegnur have volunteerily asked the Government to acquire their land for the proposed project which is dry and less fertile when compared to the land marked. The only ‘probable’ disadvantage is these villages are located 12km from nearest railway line meant for transporting coal. The proposed land? It is 8km away!! Government is worrying about extra 4km when the proposed money for project is 7000 crores.

The power plant will have adverse effects on surrounding areas also has evident in and around the areas of Thermal Power plant in Raichur, the neighbouring district. Cultivation of surrounding villages will also get effected. Are they supporting the struggle? “ Some are. But people are not much aware of the things at present” Shantesh uttered who appears to be a fan of RSS but now losing his faith and hope after seeing RSS candidature’s administration. “ We are agitating here in front of DC’s office from past 15 days. Who is going to pay for our losses and expenses in all these 15 days?” he asked. “When solar energy is almost available for almost whole year in this part why can’t they implement solar projects which is environmental friendly?” the government which has to answer to these questions is silent hoping that the agitation will fade as days progresses.

They are firm in their decision. Owners of land have given the signed/ fingerprinted petition against land acquisition. “ The struggle is not just for us. It is even for the coming generations.” Shivaling told this reporter “ if they are keen for development let them start agrarian industries”

“We are not going to give you handful of soil even if you give us kilo ofgold” this was what a lady villager said to DC

AJAY,

GULBARGA,

KARNATAKA.