Students, faculty and citizens march from BHU to Kashi Vidyapeeth.
Despite Narendra Modi government’s efforts to make 9 modifications to controversial land acquisition Bill and include 13 other laws under the purview of land acquisition bill which were earlier outside its purview, the basic character of this Bill still remains essentially anti-farmer. This is the key reason for large number of people’s movements, political parties, students, faculty members and citizens to oppose this Bill and demand that it should be rejected because of the following reasons:
– Even if government is acquiring land for its own usage, ending the mandatory provision of seeking 70% consent of farmers is wrong
– Land acquisition should not be done without social impact assessment.
– It is not being clearly stated that irrigated and cultivable land will not be acquired because such a land is key for food security.
– Although provisions to give jobs to at least one person per displaced family has been there since long but has it ever happened? It is not told that jobs will only be given to eligible skilled people.
– Clause that acquired land if not used for five years will be returned to the farmers is not included in the modified Bill.
– In the name of corporate corridors, land of 1km without any cap on its length alongside a road or a railway track can be acquired.
– Supreme Court’s order to give compensation either in the court or in bank account is no longer mandatory.
– If any officer is found to be involved in wrong dealings or conduct then the provision to take legal action without consent of officer’s department has not been included.
Above reasons mean that government in the name of making improvements to the Bill has actually made it even more anti-people. If government wants land then it should first acquire and use the land which has already been acquired, land acquired under special economic zone, land on which industries have shut down, land on which government bungalows of English–times for officers of railways, army and other government departments stand should be acquired first and fully utilized.
In remembrance of Acharya Narendra Dev who has been the Vice Chancellor of Kashi Vidyapeeth as well as BHU, a march was taken out to lodge protest against the land acquisition Bill.
Gumti Vyavsayi Kalyan Samiti, Sanjha Sanskriti Manch, National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), Lok Samiti, Prakritik Krishi Abhiyan, Indian People’s Front, Bhagat Singh Students’ Morcha, Samajwadi Jan Parishad, Socialist Students’ Sabha, Socialist Kisan Sabha and Socialist Party (India) members along with students, faculty and citizens participated in the march.
Anil Mishra, convener of Socialist Kisan Sabha from Unnao also took part in the march. “Plight of farmers is worsening even more. Snatching farmers land is jeopardizing the freedom of farmers. Current government is hell bent upon doing more excesses than the English rulers. Farmers are already oppressed. Farmers do not get minimum support price of their crop, face problems in seeking fertilizers or water for irrigation, face the worst brunt of natural disasters or extreme weather, and often cornered to commit suicide when unable to repay the loan. Farmers should be positively contributing to the development but current development model is such that it is advancing at the cost of farmers!” said Anil Mishra.
Faculty members of Kashi Vidyapeeth such as Ram Prakash Dwivedi, Anil Upadhyay, Sanjay Raman Pant and BHU faculty Dr Sandeep Pandey took part in the march.
Anil Mishra, convener, Socialist Kisan Sabha, 99565-01581, Nandlal 9415300520, Vallabhacharya Pandey 94152-56848, Chintamani Seth 9450857038, Monish Babbar 8953988126
It is a good attempt. We appreciate it. Here we are also agitating for the same cause