BANGALORE was a sea of Red on October 13 as more than 20,000 peasants, agricultural workers and rural masses came from across Karnataka and marched for land rights for the landless, rights over the Bagair-Hukum land and forest land being cultivated by over 16 lakh poor peasants, homestead land for the homeless, and against corporate takeover of land. As the unprecedented mobilisation rose up over the Anand Rao Circle Flyover and descended to reach the Freedom Park with thousands of Red flags fluttering high it was a sight to behold. The marchers came prepared for an indefinite sit-in with steely resolve to force the Congress government in the state to accept their demands.

The massive procession began from the Bangalore City Station at 12 noon and reached the venue of the indefinite ‘satyagraha’, the Freedom Park (the erstwhile Central Jail which is now a designated area for protests), by 1 PM. The masses surged ahead and their anger at the repeated betrayal by the Congress as well as the earlier BJP and JD-S governments was palpable as the large police force could not hold them back or slow them down. There seemed to be a great urgency to find a lasting solution to their problems. A reading of the list of demands will explain the reason for this urgency.

The demands included homes for all homeless and land for landless; protection of land rights of nearly two million poor Bagair-Hukum and forest land cultivators, and prevention of their forcible eviction; against forcible land acquisition and unfair compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement policies; registration of poor tenant farmers and protection of their rights; and enhanced pension and proper rehabilitation of Devadasi women.

The indefinite dharna-satyagraha was inaugurated by Vijoo Krishnan, All India joint secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha. Making a scathing attack on the land acquisition policies of the state as well as the central governments, he said that the Congress and the BJP were both hand-in-glove in facilitating corporate takeover of land. Land reforms were being systematically reversed and ceiling laws were being diluted to throw open our land to the agri-businesses and real estate mafia. The land concentration has increased over the last two decades and the percentage of landless has more than doubled. Peasantry are being dispossessed of their land and the livelihood security of millions is being threatened. It is this fight for dignity and survival that is reflected in this historic mobilisation, he said and called upon the chief minister to see the warning signs and the anger of the peasantry.

U Basavaraju, the state secretary of KPRS, in his introductory remarks explained the nature of the land relations in the state and the government’s apathy towards the genuine cultivators and landless. CPI(M) state secretary G V Sriramreddy exposed the nexus between the political leadership of Congress, BJP and JD(S) and the land mafia, as well as their role in land grabbing. He exposed the corruption involved in the NICE Project and attacked the government for standing with the corporate land grabbers rather than the poor cultivators. Nityanandaswami, the state president of All India Agricultural Workers’ Union, pointed out that the agricultural workers were not merely landless but also homeless and the large majority of them belong to the Dalit and Adivasi sections which are the most deprived. He asked whether the chief minister was really committed to these sections as he claimed to be. Maruti Manpade, state president of KPRS, explained in detail the land situation in Karnataka and demanded a solution to the problem like the one taken the EMS Namboodirippad-led Communist Government in Kerala. He also asked for a proactive intervention from the government to provide homes for the homeless. Malamma, leader of Devadasi women, spoke about the problems of the Devadasi women and explained their plight wherein they have not received the meagre pension of Rs 500 per month for nearly 18 months. V Geetha, president of Janwadi Mahila Samithi, was among others who addressed the gathering. Prasanna Kumar, state general secretary of CITU and CITU leader Varalakshmi, greeted the masses.

This huge mobilisation of the peasantry and the rural poor was the culmination of a meticulously planned campaign which has been going on over the last many months. There were day-and-night dharnas in all districts, conventions, seminars, meetings at taluk and district level, occupation of land and planting of flags and such activities. Lakhs of applications were filed demanding land rights for the forest-land cultivators and Bagair-Hukum cultivators. A state-level workshop was organised to prepare the cadre for the struggle. State leadership of Kisan Sabha and All India Agricultural Workers’ Union travelled across the state explaining the importance of the land question and for planning the struggle. New and hitherto untouched areas were reached. A convention against the illegal acquisition of land for the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project by NICE Company and against the corruption involved in it was organised in Bangalore. A padayatra from Mysore to Bangalore was inaugurated on 7^th October 2014 and culminated on 13^th October. New sections like the small coffee growers of the state also rallied in support of the demands. The enthusiastic support of the working class and the trade union was a source of great encouragement.

People had come from all corners with ample preparation to ‘Occupy Bangalore’ and stay put till concrete assurances were won. State revenue minister Srinivasa Prasad was forced to come to the venue and give assurances to the people assembled at the Freedom Park. Later at 10 PM, a delegation met the chief minister and placed the main demands of the protest. The chief minister and ministers for revenue, home, social welfare, law, forests and urban affairs as well as the different department heads met the 12-member delegation led by KPRS president Maruti Manpade.

During negotiations, the government agreed to stop eviction of Bagair-Hukum cultivators whose applications for land rights are pending; to set up a cabinet sub-committee headed by the revenue minister to discuss with the leadership of the peasantry and the rural poor and sympathetically address the applications of the poor peasants that were rejected earlier citing legal problems; to submit the complaints of illegal acquisition and acts of omissions and commissions by the NICE Company to the House Committee which will pursue the matter; and to increase the monthly pension of rehabilitated Devadasi women to Rs 1,000.

After the discussion, a joint meeting of all the participating organisations was held to assess the progress. On the basis of the government decisions, the indefinite dharna was called off with the warning to further intensify the struggle for implementation of the demands after the gathering unanimously accepted this course of action. It was decided to protect with all the might of the united movement the rights of lakhs of poor peasants and small planters cultivating up to 10 acres of Bagair-Hukum and forest land, more than 13 lakh cultivators who have applied for over 32 Lakh acres of land. Simultaneously, it was decided to continue talks with the cabinet sub-committee. It was decided to remain vigilant and have an intense campaign against evictions at taluk and village level. The masses left after two days of sit-in protest with a vow to intensify struggles if the government resorted to betrayal. The successful struggle received wide coverage and the land question was once again brought back to the fore, forcing action from the government.