Skip to main content

Withdraw SIR status to Bhechraji-Mandal, clear Maruti-Suzuki of the area, else face agitation: JAAG to Modi

Lalji Desai and Sagar Rabari of the Jameen Adhikar Aandolan – Gujarat (JAAG) have in a statement said that Gujarat government announcement of removal of 36 villages from the Mandal-Bhechraji special investment region (SIR) is an "incomplete victory" for the farmers agitating against the SIR for the last four months. In a press conference, state finance minister Nitin Patel declared that the state government had decided to remove 36 villages from the SIR, but would retain eight villages.
"The leaders of the agitation or the community based organisations (CBOs) have received no official communication in this matter", the JAAG statement said, adding, "This is an incomplete victory since the demands of the agitation viz. withdrawal of the SIR notification, removal of the Maruti Suzuki Company and reversing the process of de-commanding of the Narmada command area are yet pending". At the same time JAAG said, "It is nonetheless welcome since this is the first time in the last 12 years that the state government had to give in to the demands of the people owing to massive show of strength and their unprecedented solidarity in the face of machinations."
The statement declared, "The decision on further programmes will be taken jointly in consultation with the people of the area. There are two lessons that come out very glaringly: (a) farmers have seen through the ‘development’ gimmick of the government and are not going to fall prey to those platitudes, falsehoods and hype, and (b) industry and corporate leaders need to understand the local mood and anger before inking the MOUs and not be misled by the government’s false assurances."
JAAG said, they would expect Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the status of the special investment region (SIR) granted to the Bhechraji-Mandal area. Also demanding that the Maruti-Suzuki company “should removed from the area”, they said, “Till such time we will not rest nor let the government rest in peace”, warning, in case the SIR is not withdrawn, would be launched.
Announcing a programme of action, the statement added, the people of 101 villages (44 of the SIR and other neighbouring villages) will meet on August 15, 2013 at 8.30 am at village Naviyani road, near Hansalpur village for flag hoisting. And in case the “CM does not make a declaration withdrawing the SIR in his Independence Day speech, then we will announce a surprise programme against the Maruti Suzuki company”.
The statement further said, “Nearly 50,884 ha. of land of 44 villages has been earmarked for the Mandal-Bechraji SIR. Additionally, land has been given to the Maruti Suzuki Co. in village Hansalpur. As a ploy to hasten the process of farmers selling off their lands the Narmada canal command area (which was to supply water to the farms here) was de-commanded.” This led the “farmers in this area organised themselves and under the joint aegis of the Azad Vikas Sangathan and JAAG launched a campaign against the SIR." 
Earlier, Lalji Desai and Sagar Rabari, who met chief minister Narendra Modi on July 11, claimed soon after the meeting "victory of the people’s movement" against the Mandal-Bechraji SIR. They said,  they were "convinced" by Modi, who met them in Gandhinagar, that by August 15 they would get  some "positive news" on SIR. The CM also told them, the Narmada canal's decommanded area would recommanded.

Comments

TRENDING

World Hijab Day? Ex-Muslim women observe Feb 1 as No Hijab Day, insist: 'Put it on a Man'

I didn't know that there could ever be a thing as World Hijab Day until I received an email alert from Maryam Namazie of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB), stating that several ex-Muslim women's groups had observed the same day—February 1—as No Hijab Day! According to Namazie, the day "was created on February 1 as a direct response to World Hijab Day" to "illuminate the coercive and oppressive realities of the hijab as a pillar of sex apartheid and a war on women."

Why predictions of an imminent collapse of the Russian economy may be wrong

A veteran Canadian journalist, settled in Russia, stated in a Facebook post that President Donald Trump "is apparently listening to experts who tell him that Russia's economy is on the verge of 'imploding,' and if he just squeezes a bit harder," his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "will fall into line."

Talking of increased corporate control over news, Rajdeep Sardesai 'evades' alternative media

When I received an intimation that well-known journalist Rajdeep Sardesai was to speak at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) on February 2, my instant reaction was: I know what he is going to say—his views are quite well known; he wouldn’t be saying anything new. Yet, I decided to go and listen to him to catch his mood at a time when the media, as he (and I) knew it, is changing fast due to the availability of new technological tools that were not accessible even a decade ago.

Gujarat a police state? How top High Court advocate stunned a senior-most journalist

Rajdeep Sardesai, Anand Yagnik This is a continuation of my earlier blog on well-known journalist Rajdeep Sardesai's lecture in memory of the late Achyut Yagnik at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA). I was a little surprised when I received the intimation about the venue for the lecture.

5% poor in India? Union govt claim debunked, '26.4% of population below poverty line'

A recent paper, referring to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23 of the Government of India (GoI), has debunked the official claim that poverty has substantially declined. Titled "Poverty in India: The Rangarajan Method and the 2022–23 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey", the paper —authored by scholars CA Sethu, LT Abhinav Surya, and CA Ruthu—states that "more than a quarter of India’s population falls below the poverty line."

Google powered AI refuses to correct grammar of a 'balanced' piece on Trump sending chained immigrants to India!

This is a continuation of my blog on how, while the start-up-developed AI app DeepSeek is being criticized for consistently rejecting content related to China or Maoism, there appears to be no mention in Western media about why another app, developed by the powerful Google, Gemini, remains silent on Indian political issues.  

DeepSeek censors uncomfortable queries on China, but why's Gemini so touchy on India?

The powerful Chinese AI app DeepSeek, which has taken the Silicon Valley by surprise, as it has capacities matching Google’s Gemini and Open AI's ChatGPT, is being criticised for restricting free speech, and rightly so. It is being said that those signing up for the chatbot and its open-source technology "are being confronted with the Chinese Communist Party’s brand of censorship and information control."

Gujarat's water anarchy? 16.7% of Narmada water going to industry, 33% of targeted area irrigated: Govt insider

The Narmada project is something that has always excited me, including how much water will be distributed and to which sector. A few days ago, when I was talking to a top Gujarat government insider, I was a little surprised when I was told that it is up to the “respective states to decide how much Narmada water they would distribute among various sectors” out of the total quota allocated to the four states—Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan—as per the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal award of 1979.

A shocker for parents? Rush for 'prestigious' varsity degrees to reduce; instead, industry may prefer skills

Recently, I had a conversation with a senior researcher working on a project for a consumer goods multinational corporation (MNC) at one of the top institutes abroad. Insightful and articulate, he holds a PhD from a prestigious university and has a remarkable ability to analyze social dynamics. I am withholding his name because our discussion took place informally during a friend’s lunchtime gathering.