A huge adivasi ekta rally and public meeting was organized under the banner of the AIPF on 6 July 2015 in Kaprada taluka of Valsad district in South Gujarat. The rally was attended in large numbers by adivasi agricultural labourers and poor farmers, with CPI(ML) as a major constituent of the rally. Over 60% of the rally was comprised of adivasi women.
The rally raised the demand of a stop to the Gujarat Government’s policy of facilitating grab of adivasi land by land mafias; documents for adivasis for rights to agricultural and residential land under the Forest Rights Act; BPL cards for poor adivasi families of Kaprada taluk and 25 kilos of foodgrains at Rs 2 per kilo under the Food Security Act; enquiry into the widespread corruption in MNREGA and issuing of job cards; crop insurance without premium for adivasi farmers; pension for all aged women and men farmers of Kaprada taluka; repair of roads; pukka toilets in all adivasi homes in Kaprada taluka under the cleanliness drive; simplification of income certificates for adivasi students with a validity for a minimum of 3 years; housing for adivasis under “garib awaas” scheme, failing which adequate funds for housing be disbursed; arrest of land mafia elements under PASA; and a special women’s team to report directly to the women’s commission or the High Court on growing violence and atrocities against adivasi women.
The CPI(ML) along with other people’s movements have been consistently supporting the adivasis’ resistance to the Gujarat Government’s offensive on their rights. This struggle now continues, also resisting the Land Acquisition ordinance of the Central Government. After the public meeting which followed the rally, a memorandum was submitted to the Magistrate.
