Land Struggle to start in Kerala from January 2013

The CPI(M) Kerala state committe will start the land struggle (Bhoo Samaram) and occupy government land in illegal possession of individuals from the 1st of January 2013. The party is of the view that The government should take over all lease-expired properties in the State and distribute it among landless tribal people and those in the economically weaker sections of society.  Large tracts of government land were in illegal possession and there was large-scale encroachment on government land. Such land should be taken back by the government. The government was trying to amend the paddy and wetland conservation law to help the ‘land mafia’ in the State. There were also moves to amend the Kerala Land Utilisation Act to help the conversion of paddy and other agriculture land. The land ceiling law should be applied to huge tracts of and bought by the ‘land mafia’ in recent times.

With These demands the agricultural organisations, KSKTU (Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union) AIKS (All India Kisan Sabha) PKS (Scheduled Caste and Tribe Development organisation) are going on the war path from the New Year day of 2013 onwards. 

Two Jathas proclaiming the demands of the struggle was inaugurated from the two ends of Kerala. CPIM General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat Inaugurated the South zone jatha from Neyyatinkara in Trivandrum District, while the North Zone jatha was inaugurated by CPIM P B Member Com. S Ramachandran Pillai from Kasargod District. The south zone jatha is led by CPIM CC Member com. E P Jayarajan and the North Zone jatha is led by CC member Com A Vijayaragahavan. 

CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat while inaugurating the jatha alleged that attempts were on in the country to sabotage land reforms legislation under the cover of industrial requirements. "An attempt is on by the Centre and state governments to sabotage land reforms by handing over agriculture lands to corporates and such monopolies should be resisted," he said. Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura were the only three states where land reforms had been implemented and this was mainly due to the governments run by Left parties, Karat said.

The CPI(M) leader lambasted the Congress led UDF government in the state, saying it was trying to weaken the land reform act in the state with its decision to allow five per cent of Plantation land for other purposes. 'The decision will have serious adverse consequences. With this government decision, nearly 1000 acres would reach the hands of real estate groups," he alleged. In Kerala, land was scarce, but the number of landless people were more, he said. The possibility of poor landless people getting land would become difficult with government's new land policy, he said.

Karat also urged people to oppose UDF government's move to dilute the legislation for protection and conservation of water bodies and paddy fields brought by the previous LDF government. The UDF government planned to bring amendments to allow conversion and filling of paddy fields, he alleged.

“The United Democratic Front, whenever it comes to power, tries to scuttle the Act to delay the identification of surplus land for swift and effective rehabilitation of hundreds of landless families in the State. The present dispensation is continuing the same policy,” S. Ramachandran Pillai, Polit Bureau member of the party, alleged while inaugurating the north-zone leg of its land protection march at Kumbla in Kasargod. He said the party would intensify its agitation for rehabilitation of the landless people in the State.

The march, led by the party Central Committee member A. Vijayaraghavan, will join the south-zone leg from Neyyattinkara in Ernakulam on December 23, culminating in a public function expressing solidarity with the landless people in the State.