Tribals to take land battle to Delhi via 350 districts

As Congress-led UPA government didn’t fulfil its promise of comprehensive land reforms, Ekta Parishad on Monday announced launch of a year-long yatra that would start from Kanyakumari in October and reach Delhi in November next year. The announcement comes a day ahead of the group’s meeting with Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on the issue.

In 2007, nearly 25,000 tribals and dalits, led by Ekta Parishad president PV Rajagopal had marched to Delhi. Prime minister Manmohan Singh’s government had assured a National Land Reforms Policy to safeguard people’s right over land and livelihood resources. But Rajagopal said the promise was never implemented. He said a National Council for Land Livelihood was formed but it has met even once since its formation.

Rajagopal and several others are meeting Ramesh on Tuesday morning on the issue. Since taking over the rural development ministry Ramesh has been actively working on Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation & Resettlement Bill, which was introduced in parliament earlier this month and is now pending with parliament’s standing committee.

The ‘yatra’ would start from Kanyakumari on October 2, with a group of 20 people led by Rajagopal. After covering length and breadth of the country traversing 350 districts and 80,000 km, they would reach Gwalior on October 2 next year. On their way, they would spread awareness and mobilise people on range of issues from land, mining, fishing rights to dams, displacement and special economic zones.