People's Democracy

ORISSA

CPI(M) Launches Movement For Land

Dushmanta das

ON June 28, 2006, the capital city of Bhubaneshwar witnessed a 10,000 strong landless and poor peasants’ protest march to Orissa state Assembly and courting arrest despite the incessant rains for last two days on the call of CPI(M) Orissa state committee. The movement demanded four decimals of homestead land for those who do not have a house sight, agricultural land to the landless and BPL cards to the poor people. More than 60 percent of the participants were women. The rally received good coverage in the media.

The Orissa state unit of the CPI(M) launched a month long campaign in 24 out of 30 districts of the state at the village and panchayat level on the above issues which affect the poor, the most. As per the national sample survey organisation’s report, the percentage of people living below the poverty line has very marginally reduced from 47.15 percent in 2000 to 46.80 percent in 2004-05. The tall claims of the BJP government in the state on reduction of poverty are exposed. Even though 50 lakh poor families are there, only 37 lakh have been identified under BPL category and that too all of them have not been issued BPL cards. The state government has failed to take even 50 percent of the quota of rice from the central pool, resulting in serious financial loss to the poor BPL families of the state. Besides, the Party has demanded the state government to provide four decimals of homestead land to homeless families and legitimatise their possession on the land where they have constructed a hut. The Party has demanded that 1 acre of agricultural land be provided to each of the 30 lakh landless peasants. On the issue of providing BPL cards to all the families under the category, the Party has severely criticised the UPA government in the centre for its direction to the state government to reduce the number of BPL families artificially. The CPI(M) state unit has asked the government to settle the issue with the centre and oppose any reduction. It also urged upon the state government that in case the centre did not agree to increase the number of BPL families, then the state BJD-BJP government should ensure that all the 47 lakh BPL families are provided with cards from the state resources, since the state government has achieved revenue surplus. A memorandum to this effect enumerating all the points mentioned above had been submitted to the state government.

Before courting arrest, there was a large meeting in front of the Assembly, presided over by Sivaji Patnaik. Those who addressed the rally included state Party secretary Janardan Pati, secretariat members Jaganth Mishra, Santosh Das, Bishnu Mohanty, Subhas Singh and Ali Patnaik. The speakers cautioned the state government that if the demands are not met within 60 days, then the Party will intensify the movement in September and shall gherao the block and tahasil offices of the state.