CPI (ML) State Secretary, Com. Kunal, AIARLA National General Secretary Com. Dhirendra Jha and Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Mahasabha National General Secretary Com. Rajaram Singh have issued a joint statement to say that these three organizations will hold a state-wide land rights week from 25-31 March 2017 to mark the Champaran Satyagraha centenary year.
Com. Kunal said that today the Bihar government is trying to end the inherent identity of Champaran and publicize it as a a mere tourist attraction, whereas our Party will observe the centenary year of the Champaran Satyagraha by observing it in its true identity. The Champaran Satyagraha is an example of the historic fight of farmers against the British Raj and its atrocities. This fight continues even today. It is the biggest irony that lakhs of families do not have land to live on, and more than 60% people are landless. Nitish Kumar, following the footsteps of his predecessors, has washed his hands of land reform. Not only are the poor and dalits deprived of their right to thousands of acres of ceiling, bhoodaan and other such lands, but they are even being driven away from their ancestral lands. In this situation, CPI (ML) has called for observing the Champaran Satyagraha centenary as the year of land reform agitations.
The land reform satyagraha is being organized from 25-31 March with the following demands: implement land reform recommendations; 5 decimal housing land for all landless people; parchas to be given to poor who have settled on lands; new urban land ceiling law; all urban poor to be given housing land; stop eviction of poor without first making proper alternative arrangements; parchas for dalits and poor on dakhal-kabja lands; all forest dwellers to be given legal rights to lands as per forest land rights law; registration of and all government facilities for sharecroppers; stop eviction of Sikmi sharecroppers and give them their ancestral land rights.
