31
May 2007
Press
Release
The
leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist) met Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson
of UPA and submitted the following letter regarding the ongoing agitation for
land distribution in Andhra Pradesh. We
are releasing it to the press for publication.
Dear
Madam Sonia Gandhiji,
We
wish to draw your notice to certain aspects of the current movement
going on in Andhra Pradesh on the land issue. Instead of resolving these issues, the state government has,
unfortunately, resorted to
unprecedented repression. In the
last fifteen days, over 8,000 people have been arrested, false cases registered
against over 1,000 people who are jailed. Even
the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and Andhra Pradesh state secretary, B. V.
Raghavulu, has been booked under several
non-bailable charges. Severe
lathicharges have become the order of the day with thousands being injured.
Since
1969, the AP state government
claimed 42 lakh
acres of land assigned to
dalits and tribal people. The
Assignment Act 9/77 mandates the government to protect the assignees
from loosing their land as a
result of manoeuvres and misdeeds by influential people.
That such deprivation
of the assigned land has
been taking place over the years is a known fact.
Even the Chief Minister has, recently, publicly declared some of the
assigned lands were in possession of his family. This land, however, has not yet
been transferred to the original beneficiaries. To make matters worse, the government amended the Assignment
Act which favoured the legalisation
of the illegal possession of these lands by
influential sections. The
accompanying guidelines of this amendment, if enforced,
will ensure that those
illegally occupying these lands will become
the legal owners. Recently,
on March 24, 2007, Andhra Pradesh government issued a notification for utilising
such lands for “public purposes” in Chief Minister’s native district,
Kadapa. The state government is
diluting the Acts that are favouring the poor.
When
we, from the CPI(M), had raised this issue, the state government
countered with a statement
that since coming to power, they have distributed 4 lakh acres to the
poor. In reality,
the government granted pattas to those who
are already beneficiaries of the assigned
land. Thus, this move was nothing but mere tokenism.
Recently,
in the name of economic development
and industrialisation, the state government is acquiring lands from the poor.
Assigned land has been singularly targeted in order to avoid
the payment of compensation for such land acquisition.
The state government had refused payment of compensation on the grounds
that the acquired lands
were assigned by the government itself
in the first instance. When some of
those who have lost their land and
consequently their livelihood moved the Courts,
the later directed the state government to pay full compensation on par with others
to assignee landholders. Instead
of accepting this judgement,
the state government moved the Supreme Court and obtained a stay.
I am sure, you would agree that
had state government abided
the Court’s order, then a
large number of poor people would have derived some benefits.
In
addition to these issues, the CPI(M) has been raising
the issue of land for residential purposes in both urban and rural areas.
Given the Real Estate prices
currently, apart from the poor, even the middle classes are unable to acquire a
home. Recognising
this, the Congress party in its election manifesto had promised to
provide housing facilities to all those who are in need. The
CPI(M) raised this issue in 2005 July and
an agreement was reached with the government. This, however, has not been
implemented till date.
Even
earlier, in December 2004, in response to a request from the Left parties to
resolve these issues connected with land, the state government constituted a
committee with three ministers and some officials.
The committee had submitted its report nearly one and a half years ago.
This was neither placed in the state Assembly nor
discussed in any all-party meeting.
However, a few days ago, the government, under pressure, has made these
recommendations public stating that they are being studied and not implemented.
It is, therefore, reasonably concluded by many that the recommendations of this committee
run against the interests of
influential sections.
These
are the issues on which the current agitation is taking place in the state.
We
are seeking your intervention as the Chairperson of the United People’s
Alliance and as the President of the Congress party.
Both the UPA’s Common Minimum Programme and
the Manifesto of the Congress party had promised
finding solutions to the land question and the consequent development of
the poor, dalits, tribals etc. We
are bringing this issues to your notice with
the hope that you will take the necessary steps in urging the Congress party
state government in Andhra Pradesh to fulfil the election promises and
to restrain them from unleashing brutal repression against the very same
poor people who were instrumental
in bringing a Congress
government in the state.
Yours
sincerely
Sd/-
Brinda
Karat, MP (Rs), Member, Polit Bureau, CPI(M)
Sd/-
P. Madhu, MP (RS), Member, Central Committee, CPI(M)
Sd/-
V. Srinivasa Rao,
Member, Central Secretariat, CPI(M)
