THE Nitish-led NDA government has taken one of the most inhuman decisions to deploy bulldozers to demolish the houses in the villages, inhabited by the poor, homeless and landless people. In recent years they have been doing it without much protest in urban areas and now they are moving towards the semi-urban and rural areas as the land prices have reached sky-high. A nexus of land mafias, builders and corrupt bureaucrats under the political patronage of ruling parties are eyeing those land to grab them by using muscle and money power with the help of police and the local bureaucracy.

This has once again brought the issue of homestead land and other land-related issues to the fore.

Bihar has seen many militant land struggles during the 70s and 90’s under the leadership of Communist Parties.

The growth of CPI(M) is linked with the basic issue of land distribution. In the initial years of the Party’s formation, the centre of the land movement was East and West Champaran district but later on, it shifted to north eastern districts like Katihar, Purnea and the northern part of Bhagalpur district. During the 90s the epicentre of land movement was Purnea and the flame of this movement engulfed the entire north Bihar.

About 50 thousand acres of land were acquired and distributed among the landless and homeless people belonging to SC’S, ST’S minorities and OBC communities. More than a hundred comrades, men and women laid down their lives facing the landlords and their goons.

In recent months land mafias have tried to evict the poor people in Khagaria, Begusarai, Madhepura, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Gaya, and Nawada with the active support of the local police and bureaucrats associated with the land department.

CPI(M) is fiercely resisting these attempts to evict the homeless and landless people who have fought for years to have a roof on their heads.

A sordid incident in SuddanTola Naugachia is clear proof of the direct involvement of the ruling party in such an unlawful act. JD(U) MLA, Gopal Mandal himself led the gun-totting goons to evict the poor people which was boldly resisted by the men and women residing on 7.5 acres of land for the last four decades. An FIR was also lodged against Gopal Mandal.

Such incidents are being reported from different districts of the state. In the Kodha block of Katihar district, a mass meeting was addressed by the Bihar state general secretary of Kisan Sabha, Vinod Kumar in which a large number of people belonging to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe participated. These poor and homeless people have been living on ceiling surplus and government lands since the 90s.

Now they are being threatened and told to vacate the land. The meeting has generated a new hope among the inhabitants of the surrounding villages and they are coming together to fight the battle and defeat the game plan of land sharks.

In Sitamarhi also around 2,000 women and men assembled to register their protest against the local authorities who have failed to honour their commitment to providing legal documents to the occupants of the government land. This was the place where Comrade Binda Sahani was done to death during a dharna, demanding legal land rights.

State Party secretary, Lalan Chowdhary and state secretariat member, Shyam Bharti addressed the gathering and exhorted the people to fight till their demands are fulfilled. Lalan Chowdhary warned the authorities that any dilly-dallying tactics in implementing the demands will be met with militant struggles and bigger mobilisation of the deprived people.

A demonstration of rural and homeless, landless people belonging to dalit communities was staged before the Bhabhua district magistrate, demanding homestead land for the homeless, alternative arrangement for displaced people, and rations for all. Lalan Chowdhary and Ranglal Paswan, district secretary of CPI(M) addressed the gathering.