IN both the newly formed states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the state governments are on a land grab spree to take away lakhs of acres from the hapless farmers. But the efforts of the governments to grab the land are not going unchallenged. Realising the consequences that are going to confront them, the farming community in both the states is resisting through bitter and militant struggles.

ENORMOUS EXTENT

OF LAND GRAB

In Andhra Pradesh, the Telugu Desam government has given a notification to acquire 4,10,000 acres of fertile land (useful for two to three crops). Apart from these, the government intends to acquire another 7,60,000 acres according to its declaration that is put up on the official website.   It has already acquired 33,000 acres for the new state capital. It proposes to acquire 25,000 acres for Donakonda industrial corridor; 20,000 acres for various NIMZS projects. 2,50,000 people who have lost their land because of the Polavaram project are utterly neglected by the state government and are still not rehabilitated. Not lagging behind, the TRS government in Telangana is preparing to acquire more than 5 lakh acres of land in the state in all the districts. It has started the process to acquire 19,500 acres for  Mallannasagar in Medak district, thousands of acres for  National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) and  Muchharla Pharma City. It has declared a sort of war on podu cultivators to oust them from the lands they have been cultivating from decades.

BONAZA FOR CORPORATES

AND THEIR LOCAL CRONIES 

Both the governments are trying to hand over most of these lands to corporates for free or at throwaway prices in the guise of development. They are allotting lands beyond the stated requirement of the said project. The whole land allotment programme of the two governments is nothing but a big land scam and looting of farmers valuable resources. Most of the lands proposed for acquisition are assigned lands in the possession of dalits, tribals and backward sections. All these socially oppressed masses will be deprived of their livelihoods. It makes a mockery of the slogan of social justice propagated by the two ruling parties.

Governments of both the states are grabbing the land from farmers employing illegal and forcible methods. To bypass the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, both the governments have adopted new methods. In Telangana, lands are being acquired through GO No 123 which was issued by the government to circumvent the implementation of the favourable features of the 2013 Act. It does not have any provisions like preparation of detailed project report (DPR) and getting the approval of the gram sabha. The GO also does not have provisions for payment of market price to the farmers, relocation of agricultural labourers and artisans and payment of compensation for loss of employment etc. In Andhra Pradesh also, the government is resorting to land grabbing by adopting the land pooling method to bypass the necessity of obtaining the consent of the farmers.    The government is resorting to forcible land acquisition of assigned land refusing to pay any compensation. Even for patta lands, proper and just compensation is not being offered. Agricultural labourers and artisans have been neglected. Employment for local youth is not guaranteed.

The enormity of deprivation faced by the farmers because of the drive of the two state governments for land acquisition is throwing their lives into turmoil. There is insecurity among agricultural labourers and artisans who depend on land for their livelihood. The intensity is severe in villages which will be submerged due to the projects. No one is ready to leave the villages. Villagers feel that their life and existence is related to land. Women are worried that the money they will get due to land acquisition will be squandered away. Due to all these factors, farmers are not ready to give their lands. Although farmers were hesitant to come forward into struggles in the beginning in spite of the serious resentment against the land acquisition, gradually they acquired confidence because of the persistent and united agitation launched by the mass organisations and the CPI(M) and started participating militantly in the struggles. The movement which started with giving memorandums to the officials has grown into agitations and militant struggles.

TELANGANA

In Telangana, the movement is going on in 45 centres. Struggle committees were formed in 146 villages.

To unify all the sections involved, to sychronise all the centres where agitations are going on and to conduct the movement in a strong and broader way, a state level convention was held on June 29 and a state committee of the land oustees was formed. Some prominent public personalities also participated to express solidarity to the farmers. Apart from the Kisan Sabha, Agricultural workers union which are sphere-heading the movement, many other organisations representing various sections of people became part of the movement. A series of programmes were announced. This convention created not only enthusiasm in the participants but also confidence among the farmers that they can fight the repressive methods of the government.

Padayatras were conducted in the 15 land oustee centres covering 125 villages in six districts under the banner of Land Oustees Struggle Committee. All the important leaders of the struggle committee including the CPI(M) state secretary T Veerabhadram participated in these yatras. It brought an important transformation to the land oustee movement.  People from all parties participated in the padayatra voluntarily. Mass organisations and all sections of the people have become partners in the movement. From ward members to ZPTC members, all participated in the movement. They led the movement at the village level. All the expenditure except for the cost of the material was borne by the oustees themselves.

In continuation of the padayatras, a Mahadharna was organised in Hyderabad on July 26.  2370 people from all centres attended the dharna. Left parties were also invited for the dharna.  Brinda Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member participated and addressed it. The dharna was useful in exposing the oppression of the government on the movement of the land oustees.

Extensive propaganda was conducted among the people. On behalf of the Land Oustees' Struggle Committee, one lakh large pamphlets, two lakh small pamphlets (three types), 30,000 booklets and 10,000 posters were printed. 2000 copies of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act in Telugu were distributed to the activists. Apart from this, posters and pamphlets were distributed extensively in the districts during padayatras.  Workshops were organised in all centres involving youth and women. Through this extensive propaganda, the mischievous and misleading propaganda of the state government that the farmers would be benefited more from GO no 123 than from 2013 Act, was exposed.

Of all these struggles, particular mention has to be made of the Mallanna sagar struggle. This area falls under the assembly segment of the chief minister. Almost all the local bodies were in the hands of the TRS party. The government and the TRS party exerted tremendous pressure on the farmers to prevent them from participating in the agitation. In spite of the pressures, farmers came into the struggle massively. The upsurge of the masses had even forced the Congress and Telugu Desam Party to undertake some agitational programmes and support the united farmers’ movement. This also helped in stabilising the movement. After trying all other means to weaken the farmers’ opposition, the TRS government resorted to police firing on the agitating land oustees on July 24.  200 people were injured in the firing and lathicharge and 25 were hospitalised.

Because of the galvanising struggle of the farmers throughout the state, the government was forced to issue two GO's – GO no 190 and 191, granting compensation for loss of employment for farmers, agricultural labour and artisans.   The intervention of the High court at the appeal of some of the organisations who are part of the struggle also put pressure on the government to concede some demands.

ANDHRA PRADESH

In AP, agitations are going on in 349 villages in 59 mandals in 13 districts. Broad platforms have also been formed at state and district level with all those who oppose forcible acquisition. In 2015 October, a state level convention was held with farmers, agricultural workers, trade unions, social and tribal organisations. Land rights protection struggle committee was formed under the leadership of a retired IAS officer with 26 mass organisations. Agitations were held under the leadership of this committee at respective centres. Satyagrahas, padayatras were conducted in villages.  Picketings of mandal, district revenue offices were also held under the auspices of this committee. 

Two state wide jathas were held under the banner of the struggle committee. These travelled 2600 kilometres for 10 days traversing most of the centres of struggles. ‘Chalo CM Office’ (camp office at Vijayawada) was also taken up on March 9 during the state budget session. The government had resorted to severe repression and hundreds of people were arrested in order to foil this programme. In spite of all these repressive measures, 2500 farmers, agricultural workers from areas where land was being acquired, attended this programme voluntarily. The participation of all India leadership of the Party and the CPI(M) state secretary P Madhu  in  many of these programmes enthused the rank and file and the people.

The resistance put up by the Tunduru area farmers of West Godavari district deserves special mention. Braving all the repression, they were able to force the government to temporarily back out from pursuing the construction of aqua park in the midst of their farming land. Famers showed exemplary unity and bravery in resisting the pressure of the Telugu Desam Party and the repression of the police.

The government is resorting to divide the people and to acquire the land by creating confusion in the minds of the people. Some of the farmers, agricultural workers were sent to jails. The government has foisted cases on cadres, leaders including state leaders. Preventive arrests are also being made. By foisting false cases and arresting our cadres, it is trying to demoralise the agitating farmers. It is bribing some weak elements to sow seeds of discord among the farmers. In spite of all these machinations of the government and the Telugu Desam Party, farmers in most of the centres are rallying behind the struggle committees irrespective of political affiliations.

After its failure to push through the anti-farmer amendments to the 2013 Act, the Narendra Modi led BJP government connived with many of the state governments  to evolve a new method of land acquisition bypassing the 2013 Act. Land pooling method of AP and GO no 123 of Telangana are part of these new methods of jettisoning the useful provisions of the Act. But the farmers are able to see through this perfidy of the state governments. In spite of some weaknesses, the 2013 Act has become a useful instrument in the hands of those who are struggling for the cause of the farmers.

In the present circumstances, the state governments that are pursuing neo-liberal policies will intensify the appropriation of land belonging to the farmers further. The issues of land, forcible acquisition and problems of displaced persons will continue to be major issues. The experience in these states show that sustained and militant struggles are needed to fight back the rapacious greed of the rulers for the farmers’ land and to protect the interests of the peasantry. Broad based unity of all victims of land acquisition – farmers, agricultural workers, artisans, dalits, fishermen and tribals and of all those who oppose the illegal and forcible method of the governments – can restrain the governments from running roughshod over the lives of the farmers.