People's Democracy

JHARKHAND

Left Protests Demolition Drive through Bandh

THE Jharkhand state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has greeted the people of Jharkhand for the spontaneous, peaceful and statewide complete bandh on May 2 in protest against the demolition drive and killing of innocent people by the Arjun Munda government. The CPI(M) has also greeted the opposition parties and forces who extended their moral and active support to the bandh call.

During the bandh, about 1500 leaders, functionaries and supporters of the Left parties were arrested in different parts of the state. These included the CPI(M) state secretary J S Majumdar, CPI state secretary Bhubaneshwar Prasad Mehta, CPI(M) state secretary Janardan Prasad, RSP state secretary Radhakant Jha, CPI(M) state secretariat member and Jharkhand Kisan Sabha president Rajendra Singh Munda, Jharkhand Kisan Sabha general secretary Prafulla Linda, CITU’s state general secretary D D Ramanadan, DYFI state president Sukhnath Lohra, AIDWA leaders Bina Linda and Rangawati Devi, Left MLAs Arup Chatterjee and Binode Singh, and others. 

The CPI(M) state committee has condemned the Arjun Munda government of Jharkhand for once again betraying the people of Jharkhand by issuing a ‘rehabilitation policy’ instead of issuing an ordinance. This has indicated its adamant attitude to continue the ongoing demolition drive and notional distorted rehabilitation later. It is mostly the economically deprived and socially oppressed sections that have become victims of this demolition drive, causing lakhs of new displacements in Jharkhand.

The CPI(M) and Left parties have demanded that an ordinance must be immediately issued for giving legal protection to the  temporary settlements of all families, without discrimination, and then gradually implement the measures for rehabilitation and resettlement of the poor.

Unfortunately, the union coal minister, union steel minister and union heavy industries minister did not even come to Jharkhand to address the problems when thousands of families were being uprooted and innocent people were being killed in the BCCL, CCL, DVC, BSL (Bokaro) and HEC (Ranchi) areas. The central government’s ministries, its departmental undertakings like the railways, the national highways authority and the central public sector undertakings (PSUs) are directly responsible in regard to all these issues, including land.  

The CPI(M) state committee demanded that the central government must issue a similar ordinance and notify a policy for rehabilitation and resettlement as is applicable to the land-losers, as per the 2007 policy applicable to the central PSUs and departments.

the Left parties have decided to resort to a blockade of rail and national highways from 10 a m to 2 p m on May 19, in pursuance of their demands placed before the central government.