People's Democracy

LEGISLATION FOR SC/ST SUB PLANS

Sustained, United Struggle

Achieves Victory in AP

John Wesley

THE sustained and united struggle waged for enactment of a legislation to ensure proper implementation of SC/ST Sub Plans achieved victory in Andhra Pradesh. The struggle was led by a Joint Action Committee comprising over 100 dalit, tribal, worker, employees, NGOs and other mass organisations, including KVPS (Struggle Committee against Caste Discrimination), A P Girijana Sangham etc. The struggle was supported by all political parties except the ruling Congress. The struggle outside was accompanied by the pressure mounted by political parties inside the assembly. Even SC/ST ministers and MLAs of the ruling party mounted pressure by holding a separate meeting on March 26.

All this forced the chief minister to concede the main demand. On March 27, he announced on the floor of the assembly constitution of a cabinet sub committee to study and recommend the contours of a legislation to oversee the effective implementation of Sub Plans in a span of two to three months. A special two day session of the assembly would be called to discuss the sub committee's recommendations and adopt the legislation. Thus Andhra Pradesh is going to be the first state to have a legislation in place for implementation of Sub Plans.

Despite a 72-hour hunger strike by 11 leaders from 10 organisations of the JAC at Indira Park, Hyderabad, from March 23, the government did not respond. A delegation of ministers came to the hunger strike camp on March 25 and appealed for withdrawal of next day's 'Chalo Assembly'. It was made clear that unless the government comes out with categorical statement on the demands, the struggle would not be withdrawn.

Heavy police force was deployed at the venue on March 26. Thousands of dalits and tribals from across the state descended at the venue. Addressing the meeting, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and vice president of KVPS, B V Raghavulu lambasted the Congress government for its adamant attitude on this demand. Criticising the blatant diversion of Sub Plan funds, he said a case must be booked against the state government under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act for its atrocious negligence in this matter.

TDP president Chandrababu Naidu said the negligence of the government can be seen from the fact that the Nodal Agency to oversee the implementation of Sub Plans is without a head for the last two years. He expressed full support of his party to the struggle and urged the leaders to carry on till the government concedes the genuine demands. Leaders of CPI, TRS, BJP, CPI(ML), YSR Congress also expressed their support to the struggle by participating in the hunger strike on specified days.

When the protestors tried to march to the assembly on March 26, the police barricaded the entire area and resorted to arrests. Hundreds of activists and leaders were arrested and taken to various police stations across the city. Denouncing this high handedness of the police and the apathy of government to their demands, the protestors began a flash sit-in at Indira Park. Raghavulu and CPI(ML) leader Venkateswarlu led the sit-in and stayed overnight at the camp. It was resolved that the struggle would continue till the government concedes the demand.

In such circumstances, the chief minister made the announcement in the state assembly on March 27. Immediately after that, deputy chief minister D Raja Narasimha came to the venue of the sit-in along with few Congress MLAs and conveyed to the protestors the decision of the government to bring in a legislation. JAC chairman and former chief secretary of the state, K Madhava Rao, thanked the government for accepting the demand and announced withdrawal of the sit-in. Raghavulu thanked the masses for the relentless struggle and called for further actions in future as lot more needs to be achieved. He praised the role of Madhava Rao saying that he acted as 'fevicol' for the 100 organisations to coalesce into the JAC.

Senior journalist-activist, M Laxmaiah of Centre for Dalit Studies, put on record his gratitude to the CPI(M), particularly B V Raghavulu, for the relentless focus on this issue that has brought it to the centrestage of political agenda. He also thanked other political parties for extending their support to the cause. He said this struggle is an example for the entire country on how various forces can come together, keeping aside their differences, for successfully fighting for people's interests.

UNITED

STRUGGLE

KVPS has taken up the issue of proper implementation of Sub Plans since 2002. They demanded that Sub Plan funds must be allocated to the SC/ST Nodal Agencies at the time of budget making itself with a mandate to spend them exclusively for the welfare of dalits and tribals. A separate Nodal Agency for implementation of Sub Plan funds must be formed. Many programmes and agitations were conducted on these demands. A Chalo Assembly was held in 2003 to highlight these demands. In the run up to 2004 assembly elections, a convention was held in Hyderabad inviting all political parties to express their stand on these demands. The then leader of opposition in state assembly, late Y S Rajashekar Reddy committed to implement these demands if voted to power. But after assuming power, no action was taken till 2007. In this situation an indefinite hunger strike was launched in Hyderabad by 25 KVPS leaders, led by its vice president B V Raghavulu in 2008. On this occasion a massive Chalo Assembly was organised, overcoming police repression. The state assembly was stalled for two days on this issue. This struggle forced the government to appoint Nodal Agencies to oversee the implementation of Sub Plan funds. An apex committee headed by chief minister was also formed. This resulted in some improvement in the quantum of funds allocated for Sub Plans and their expenditure. But without allocating the funds to the Nodal Agencies and not backing them with legal framework, these bodies remained toothless. Not allocating the funds in proportion to the population, diverting even the meagre allocations to sectors not useful for dalits and tribals etc continues. For instance, in the present 2012-13 state budget, nearly half of the amount allocated for SCP has been diverted to non-dalit areas. Such amounts of diversion and cuts in Sub Plan funds over the last 19 years add up to nearly Rs 26,000 crore.

It is in this context it was felt that a broad-based united struggle is necessary for achieving the legislation to ensure proper implementation of  Sub Plan funds. A 'Joint Action Committee for Achieving SC/ST Sub Plan Funds' was formed on May 9, 2011. It comprised of 100 organisations and 20 prominent individuals who were retired IAS, IPS officers, academics and intellectuals. It was headed by former chief secretary of the state K Madhava Rao. Similar JACs were formed at district, division and mandal levels encompassing a total of 873 local organisations. Activities taken up during this period included deputations to governor, CM, ministers, speaker of assembly, district collectors etc seeking legislation; conducting of seminars and meetings focussing the demand; resolutions were made in Grama Sabhas demanding legislation and sent to CM etc.

Making the government concede the demand of legislation for implementation of Sub Plan funds is indeed a victory of united struggle. By continuously taking up the issues of the most downtrodden sections of society – the dalits and tribals – the Left  has been able to rally social forces and other sections under a broad united platform. This coming together of Left and social forces, keeping aside their differences, has given new confidence to dalits, tribals and democratic sections in the state.