People's Democracy

 JHARKHAND

 CPI(M) Opposes Dilution Of CNT, SPT Acts

GOING one step ahead to make the mineral rich tribal land of Jharkhand available to multinational corporations and Indian monopolies and to protect the vested interests of land usurpers and land mafias in Jharkhand, the Babulal Marandi committee of Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha, with open support from the speaker Inder Singh Namdhari, has decided to review the Chhotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act.

Strongly opposing this move through a statement issued by its secretary J S Majumdar from Ranchi on September 2, the CPI(M)’s Jharkhand state committee said that before the formation of Jharkhand and also after its formation, the BJP has been making systematic attempts to displace the tribals from their lands in Jharkhand. The BJP’s intention became clear when the erstwhile Babulal Marandi ministry adopted the Jharkhand industrial policy 2001. Point 32.5 of this industrial policy of August 2001 clearly mentioned the following: “set up a high level review committee to assess and evaluate the applicability and relevance of certain acts..… Forest Act, Mining Act, Tenancy Act etc.” As the debate in the Jharkhand assembly about reviewing the CNT and SPT acts showed, the issue arose out of and revolves round the question of restoration of tribal lands.

The CPI(M) statement also recalled that the then chief minister, Babulal Marandi, had publicly committed in writing and through statements that he was in favour of diluting the CNT and SPT acts to make tribal lands easily saleable to non-tribals. He had even suggested that the tribals should go to Delhi and Mumbai after selling off their lands. What he did not openly say is that, in their place, industrialists from Delhi and Mumbai should come down to Jharkhand. It will not be out place to mention here that a large number of tribals, who lost their lands in Jharkhand during the British period and were working in the tea gardens in Assam, have no recognition as schedule tribes. They lost their identity as tribals in Jharkhand as well as Assam.

The CPI(M) is of the unequivocal view that a person like Babulal Marandi, who has already expressed his views in favour of diluting the CNT and SPT acts, had in the first place no right to become the chairman of the assembly committee for review of these acts. It was the assembly speaker Inder Singh Namdhari who made Babulal Marandi chairman of the said committee. Not only that, Namdhari further changed the terms of reference of the review committee for a complete review of CNT and SPT acts.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has therefore demanded immediate dissolution of the review committee. Except the Congress, all opposition parties have opposed any amendment diluting the CNT and SPT acts to the detriment of the interests of Jharkhand tribals. As is usual whenever it is a matter of the economic interests of multinational corporations and Indian monopolies, the BJP and the Congress party have joined hands in this regard also. This had happened in parliament and this is happening in Jharkhand.

Since other opposition parties and organisations have strongly opposed any amendment diluting the CNT and SPT acts to the detriment of tribals’ interests, the CPI(M) has urged their representatives on the committee to withdraw from it without any delay, so that a clear message goes to the people. The CPI(M) statement said the very participation of these representatives in the committee would dilute the firm position taken by their parties in public. (INN)