People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

Land Struggle Enters New Phase

CPI(M), CPI And Mass Organisations Start Indefinite Hunger Strike

THE persistent struggle of the poor people in Andhra Pradesh for house sites and land which began on May 2, 2007 entered into a new phase, with the indefinite hunger strike launched by the leaders of the CPI(M), CPI and mass organisations. The movement has intensified and is gaining further momentum. Solidarity from many quarters of civil society and from several political parties has helped in galvanising the movement.

Leaders of both the communist parties, including the Polit Bureau member and state secretary of the CPI(M), B V Raghavulu and state secretary of the CPI, Dr K Narayana, began the indefinite hunger strike at Indira park in Hyderabad on July 22, 2007. Member of the central committee and MP, P Madhu, MLC Ch Sitaramulu, Gelvayya, leader of CPI(M) Hyderabad unit and T Jyoti, state president of AIDWA, G Easwarayya, P Padma, state leader of AP Mahila Samakhya, N Bala Mallesh and M Narsimha from the CPI were on indefinite hunger strike. Paturu Ramayya, central committee member of the CPI(M) and MLA, and Chada Venkatareddy, leader of the CPI legislature party inaugurated the indefinite hunger strike. Y Venkateswara Rao and K Ramakrishna, state secretariat members of the CPI(M) and CPI, respectively, presided over the programme organised on the occasion.

The indefinite hunger strike has been launched demanding appointment of a special commission for implementation of the recommendations of the Koneru Ranga Rao committee, giving house sites and arable lands to all the eligible people, conducting an inquiry into the corruption that has taken place in construction of houses under Indiramma programme and withdrawing cases registered in connection with the land struggle.

Speaking on the occasion, Raghavulu warned that the state government would be brought to a standstill if it did not make a clear announcement on the land issue in the ongoing session of the legislative assembly. He advised the Congress government to get the appreciation of the people by solving the issues raised by the Left parties in the land struggle. Raghavulu asked the government to allot its lands to the poor and middle class for house sites and only then sell the balance available land for commercial purposes. Otherwise, the government would not be allowed to sell its land, he warned. Raghavulu lashed out at the Congress government for terming the land struggle as anarchic. He sarcastically asked whether the anarchic attacks on a cinema theatre by the kin of a minister or the fight involving the chief minister’s brother and son of a Congress MLA were appearing to the government as some dance forms! Ridiculing the innuendo of the leader of the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in the assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi, that the communists were taking money for getting huts set up, Raghavulu pointedly asked him how much amount had he taken from the Congress leaders for making such false allegations against the communists. He appealed to all people to strongly condemn with one voice the repressive measures of the government to suppress the land struggle and made it clear that such repression would be resorted to on all political parties in future.

Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, secretary of the national council of the CPI and MP, warned that the land struggle would transform into a class struggle if the government did not solve the land issue at least now. He said that they were ready for stopping the land struggle, provided the government announced a time limit for solving the land issue. Sudhakar Reddy pointed out that the MIM, which has been in existence in the old city of Hyderabad for several decades failed in getting house sites allotted to the poor people and made it clear that the leaders of that Party were least qualified to talk about the Communists. He also reminded the MIM leaders that the people were aware who were amassing crores of rupees by establishing engineering and medical colleges, all in the name of the people. Having appealed to the Congress government several times for solving the land issue, and finding no positive response from it, land struggles and indefinite hunger strike were started, K Narayana said. Till the poor got lands, the battle would continue, he warned.

Paturu Ramayya warned the Congress government that underestimating the land struggle of the Left parties would put an end to its rule. Reminding that the communists had the legacy of fighting against the Nizam rule and distributing lakhs of acres of land to the poor, Ramayya asked the government to prove its sincerity towards the people, by solving the problem.

D V Krishna, leader of the CPI(ML) New Democracy, Kollipara Venkateswara Rao, leader of ML Committee, Lakhsminarsayya, leader of the CPI(ML), MLC and eminent educationist Chukka Ramaiah, founder of Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi, Manda Krishna Madiga, leader of Mala Mahanadu, Karem Sivaji and others visited the camp of hunger strike and expressed their solidarity to the struggle.

Leaders of the Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Lok Satta and of several mass organisations visited the camp of hunger strike and expressed solidarity to the land struggle. Chandrababu Naidu, TDP president and leader of opposition visited the hunger strike camp and expressed solidarity with the fasting leaders. T Devender Goud, member of the Polit Bureau of the TDP, and its MLA Ch Rajeswara Rao, TRS MLA Nayani Narsimha Reddy, Lok Satta leaders B Rammohan Rao, Manorama and Satyanarayana, CPI(M) floor leader in the assembly, Nomula Narsimhaiah and central committee member of the Party and MLA, Thammineni Veerabhadram, CPI MLC Puvvada Nageswara Rao were among the leaders who visited the camp. In support of the land struggle of the Left Parties, cultural programmes were organised by the AP Praja Natya Mandali.

Earlier, a massive rally was held from Sundarayya Park to Indira Park which was led by leaders of the CPI(M), CPI and mass organisations. Demanding the government to give house sites and pattas to all the eligible poor, the rallyists raised slogans denouncing the negative attitude of the government towards their justified demands. In the rally, the tribals performed their traditional dances, while artists of Praja Natya Mandali sang songs in support of the land struggle and against the government.

INDEFINITE HUNGER STRIKE OF 195 MASS ORGANISATIONS

Earlier, on July 21, leaders on behalf of the 195 mass organisations led by A P Agricultural Workers’ Union (APAWU), commenced indefinite hunger strike at Indira Park. B Venkat, general secretary of APAWU, and leaders of various mass organisations Bhupal, S Ramarao, Gangadhar, Parandaswamy, S Rama, Kotanaik, Sunita, Venkataswamy and Balakasi were on indefinite hunger strike. Several leaders and prominent people termed the long-drawn land struggle as people’s movement and extended their solidarity to it. They asked the government not to link up this movement with politics. They asked the government to give up its tendency of slinging mud on people’s movements and to respond immediately to the land struggle and give house sites and arable land to all the eligible people. B V Raghavulu, Paturu Ramayya , K Ramakrishna, CITU state president R Sudha Bhaskar, T Jyothi, MLCs Chukka Ramaiah and Dr K Nageswar, leaders of People’s Union for Civil Liberties K G Kannabiran and Professor Haragopal, retired IAS officer T Gopala Rao and others addressed the gathering.

Vijayaraghavan, MP and general secretary of All India Agricultural Workers’ Union (AIAWU), visited the camp of hunger strike and extended support to the struggle. He announced that AIAWU would organise agitational programmes on the land issue all over the country. Vijayaraghavan pointed out that one of the reasons for defeat of the Congress party in the elections in Punjab and Uttaranchal was the failure of its governments to distribute lands to the poor. He asked the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh to draw lessons from that experience and fulfil its commitment given to the people. Extending solidarity to the land struggle, Prajasakthi Sahithi Samstha has been organising round-table conferences all over the state involving leaders of political parties. Sahiti Sravanti organised a ‘voice of land’ programme in the state in which several poets participated, extending solidarity to the land struggle and reciting their poetry.

In a letter addressed to the MLAs and MLCs, B V Raghavulu requested them to help solve the land issue by exerting their influence as representatives of the people. He explained that for the development of the state and progress of the dalits, tribals and other weaker sections of the people, solving the land issue was very crucial. Explaining that efforts were made in the past and repeated representations on the issues were made to the chief minister and other ministers, Raghavulu made it clear that the government was requested to fulfil the commitments it had given on various occasions by implementing the existing enactments to solve the land issue. It was reprehensible that the government was not bothered about the issue, though the land struggle has been going on for the last eighty days, Raghavulu explained.

RELAY HUNGER STRIKES ALL OVER THE STATE

The CPI(M) and CPI announced that protesting the negligence of the Congress government in solving the land issue, relay hunger strikes would be started all over the state from July 25 onwards. Y Venkateswara Rao and K Ramakrishna, state secretariat members of the CPI(M) and CPI, explained that the decision was taken in view of the government not giving any assurance on the land issue, though the relay hunger strike by the leaders of the CPI(M) and CPI was going on. On July 25, rasta roko would be conducted on all main roads in towns and cities, and on July 26, picketing would be conducted at government revenue offices and collectorates, they announced.