Skip to main content

'India is not for sale': Land rights movement plans nationwide agitation on August 9-10

By Our Representative
Following an online conference, India’s top land rights network, the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA) announced that on August 9-10, 2020 it would hold a nationwide day of protest across the country under the slogan ‘India Is Not For Sale’ in view of the changes introduced to dilute environment conservation efforts through the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification 2020.
The slogan ‘India Is Not For Sale’ was adopted adopted the conference, in which 150 representatives of people’s movement groups participated. The August 9-10 protest would also focus on fresh moves reportedly being made to decimate the processes of social impact assessment and consent for land acquisition amidst Covid-19 crisis. In the meanwhile, it was decided to reach out to the people who might be affected by he Government of India move.
The day of protest would be preceded by a nationwide campaign on July 23 at block and tehsil levels to agitate people for land reforms, demand royalties for the use of natural resources as their rightful due, support working classes’ opposition to changes being introduced by the government in labour laws, and pressure government to take adequate steps to solve the crisis faced by migrant workers on their lives and livelihoods.
A communique issued by BAA following the virtual meet said, “The 73rd amendment to the Constitution gives credibility to the assertions of peoples’ movement groups. Hence it is important that it is implemented in adivasi areas in its letter and spirit along with implementing the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996” (PESA) and Forest Rights Act (FRA)”, insisting on the need for “peoples’ movement to emerge as pressure groups for this purpose.”
Participated, among others, by Hannan Mollah (All India Kisan Sabha), Medha Patkar (National Alliance of People’s Movements), Ulka Mahajan (Sarvahara Jan Andolan), Dayamani Barla (Adivasi, Moolvaasi, Astitva Raksha Manch), Ashok Shrimali (Mines, Minerals and People), Ashok Chowdhury and Roma Malik (All India Union of Forest Working People), and others, speakers shared the challenges faced by working people expressing concern on the government’s “non-collaborative nature” in deciding what is good for the country.  
Amidst Covid-19 crisis, instead of focusing on public health or social security, the government is seeking to indiscriminately sale natural resources to corporate groups
The BAA note said, “In the name of rhetorical development, the Union government has made natural resources a commodity for exploitation.” Referring to Covid-19, it added, “Even in the times of a humanitarian crisis of this magnitude, there has not been focus on public health or social security but on the indiscriminate sale of natural resources to corporate groups.”
The note stated, “The conference focused on the plight of working caste-class groups who continue to suffer immensely due to the negligence of state and union governments”, adding, “It has been amply clear that this regime is against the interests of common people and does not care about them.”
“In the time of a pandemic, when people are unable to come together and express their opposition, the imposition of various amendments and ordinances in the management and control of natural resources points to their high-handedness in the matter”, the note insisted.
Held in four sessions, discussions ranged on the changes in labour laws, challenges faced by migrant workers on their lives and livelihoods, commercialization of coal mining, negative impacts on agriculture, changes introduced to dilute environment conservation efforts through the introduction of EIA notification 2020 and the virtual decimation of the processes of social impact assessment and taking consent for land acquisition.
It was pointed out at the conference that the increasing attacks on forest dwelling communities by forest departments and atrocities by police as a widely used method of state violence had emerged as a major cause for worry. Speakers focused on the fact that the Union government has used the pandemic as an excuse to impose “anti-people” laws, seeking to hand over public resources to private players rather than take efforts to improve the conditions of people.
The note said, “Opposition to the government policies has been criminalized, and it was realized that a united opposition must be built for democratic movements to take shape”, adding, “While the government won elections with the slogans that they would not let the resources of the country get out, it is working overtimes to do the opposite and sell out natural resources to national and international capitalist groups.”

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

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.

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

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.