Disgusted with the ‘apathy’ of the Achuthanandan government, a major Dalit forum leading a land struggle popularly known as ‘Chengara Samaram’ has decided to take an anti-Left Democratic Front stance in the coming assembly elections.
“We will take an anti-Left stance in the polls unless the government corrects the Land Reform Bill which is still discriminatory in nature,” said Mr Laha Gopalan, President of Sadhujana Vimochana Samyukta Vedi “It has a clause that those having at least three cents of land will not be included among the beneficiaries. “
He added that despite claiming to be pro-poor, the government chose to see the Chengara agitation as a law and order problem instead of treating it as a basic rights issue.
“Before the start of the Chengara agitation in 2006, most of us were Left sympathisers but in the last four years, not even a single leader from the CPI(M) had visited or inquired about our problem,” he said.
The struggle broke out in 2006 when around 4,000 families, mostly landless Dalits and adivasis, encroached upon upon the rubber plantations spread across three hills near Chengara in Pattanamthitta district.
Of them, over 2,000 have got land so far. “However, except for the land provided in Malappuram, Eranakulam and Kollam, the other land is good for nothing and consists of rocks only,” said Mr Gopalan. “We cannot cultivate anything there.”
Currently around 1000 families are living in the Chengara plantations. Most of them are self-dependent and engage n rubber tapping, cultivation and daily wage labour to survive.
However, local Left leaders termed Mr Gopalan’s statement as mere blackmail. “We are the only ones to have given title deeds to the landless tribals,” a local CPI (M) leader said.