Senior activists form new anti-land acquisition bill forum, chalk out plans for agitation

Medha Patkar

By Our Representative
Anti-Modi land rights activists have announced the formation of Joint Forum against the Land Acquisition Bill-2015. The occasion of the announcement was March 23, 2015, the anniversary day on when Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru laid down their lives for the freedom of India.
The National Alliance for People’s Movements (NAPM), the apex body of tens of rights-based bodies, announcing the new forum, said it was necessary to “intensify the struggle against corporate loot” of land and natural resources through the Land Acquisition Bill, 2015.
“While the country is free from the imperialistic powers, the poor and marginalised of this country are still not free from the clutches of exploitative policies that in the name of ‘development’ snatch away hard-earned rights and our resources”, the NAPM said.
In order to “celebrate” the historic day as the land rights day, it held several programmes and rallies to “remind” the government that its “anti-people moves shall be met with fierce opposition”, said NAPM.
“A signature campaign has been started all over the country to demand cancellation of land bill and assert land rights. Land rights day was celebrated as part of the larger, countrywide call of resistance that has been given out by the Joint Forum against the Land Acquisition Bill-2015”, it added.
In Delhi, NAPM said, senior activists Medha Patkar, Bhupendra Singh Rawat, Rakesh Rafiq and many others participated in the programme organised by the youth involved with people’s movements. Cultural activist Arvind Gaur and his team ‘Asmita’ set the tone of the event by performing a street-play and songs of resistance.
Speaking at the programme, Patkar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s argument that the Land Bill is not anti-farmer is both “inaccurate and propagandist”.

She asserted that the Bill is “completely anti-farmers anti-workers and is meant only for easy transfer and forcible acquisition of land for corporations by the government, without any consent of the land owners and those dependent on it for their livelihood or conducting any social impact assessment.”
Meanwhile, the newly-formed forum announced collection of five crore signatures, holding village padayatras, mass conventions at state and district levels across India. It will hold “dialogue with the political parties and meeting of core organizing groups on April 2 to decide future course of struggles in Delhi.
The forum said, “The government is under pressure from several quarters on the Land Acquisition Bill and political posturing is ongoing on a daily basis.” It added, activists have finalized state-level meetings before April 14, 2015, district-level mass conventions before April 30, 2015, village-level padayatras and signature campaign before May 15, 2015.

Comments

Mystery around Gujarat PSU 'transfer' of Rs 250 crore to Canadian firm Karnalyte

By AK Luke, IAS (Retd)*
While returning from a Board meeting of the Oil India Limited (OIL) in Ahmedabad some time in 2012, two officers of the Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GSFC), Nanavaty and Patel, saw me off at the airport. They said they were proceeding to Canada in connection with a project GSFC had entered into with a company there. As we were running late, I hastily wished them the best.

Indians have made 119 nations their ‘karma bhumi’: US-based Hindu NGO tells Rupani

Counterview Desk
In a stinging letter to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, the US-based Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), referring to the report citing his justification for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) – that “while Muslims can choose any one of the 150 Islamic countries in the world (for residence), India is the only country for Hindus" – has said, he should remember, Hindus have made several countries, including USA, their home.

Savarkar in Ahmedabad 'declared' two-nation theory in 1937, Jinnah followed 3 years later

By Our Representative
One of the top freedom fighters whom BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi revere the most, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was also a great supporter of the two nation theory for India, one for Hindus another for Muslims, claims a new expose on the man who is also known to be the original proponent of the concept of Hindutva.

J&K continues to be haunted, as parts of India 'degenerate' into quasi-Kashmir situation

By Rajendran Narayanan*, Sandeep Pandey**
“Jab har saans mein bandook dikhe toh baccha kaise bekhauf rahe?” (How can a child be fearless when she sees a gun in every breath?) remarked Anwar, a gardener from Srinagar, when asked about the situation in Kashmir. On November 30, 2019, a walk through an iron gate in a quiet neighbourhood of Srinagar took us inside a public school. It was 11 am when typically every school is abuzz with activity. Not here though.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam*
RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Tata Mundra's possible closure? Power ministry's 'pressure tactic' on consumer states

By Bharat Patel*
Tata power has announced to the Union Ministry of Power that Tata Power may be forced to stop operating its imported coal-based Mundra Ultra-Mega Power Project (UMPP) after February, 2020. It is not only unfortunate but also criminal that irreversible damage has been caused to the fragile ecosystem of Mundra coast for a project that will have a running life of only seven years.

Population control? 10% Indian couples want to delay next pregnancy, but fail

Counterview Desk
Shireen Jejeebhoy, director at Aksha Centre for Equity and Wellbeing, previously senior associate at the Population Council, India, argues that the debate on the country's population was fuelled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address to the nation, where he drew attention to “concern” about the challenges posed by this ‘exploding’ population growth, needs to centre around the promotion of rights and education, instead of the language of explosion and the threat of coercion that this term implies.

Savarkar 'opposed' Bhagat Singh's, Netaji's dream of India, supported British war efforts

By Shamsul Islam*
In a shocking development, the student wing of the RSS put the busts of martyrs Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose with Savarkar's on one pedestal at the University of Delhi late in the night on August 20, 2019. Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life for a socialist-democratic-secular republic and Netaji raised Azad Hind Fauj (INA) consisting of people of all religions and regions for armed liberation of India.

Gandhi's grandson, Khudai Khidmatgar chief among advisers to US Hindu rights group

By Our Representative
The Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), a US-wide advocacy organization claiming to be committed to the "ideals of multi-religious pluralism in the United States, India and beyond", advocate peace, justice and human rights of all communities from a Hindu perspective, has declared it has appointed a group of advisors, including Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan Gandhi.

Counterview

Search This Blog