*THE CHENGARA LAND STRUGGLE IN KERALA AND THE POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF LAND
STRUGGLES*
**
*Sadhujana Vimochana Samyuktha Vedi (SJVSV**), Chengara, Pathanamthitta,
Kerala*
The hilly terrains at the southern plantation belt of the Pathanamthitta
district in Kerala reverberates with a major land struggle of an
unprecedented nature involving more than 5000 families of the most deprived
sections of the population. They demand land to live and labour on it. These
are the people left-out in the once lauded land reforms of Kerala as a
grand success. By tradition and practice, they have the creative potential
to lead a highly productive life in relation to land and nature. But, they
do not posses it. The mainstream society of Kerala either ignores this
struggle or pretends that nothing seriously happen except for a bit of law
and order problem. Some even perceive this as a violent and militant
struggle, thereby indirectly even indicating that they are supported by
'Naxals'. So goes the behavior of the media too.
This struggle by landless Dalits and Adviasis to gain ownership of land,
which began on 4th August 2007 has completed one month now. They have been
labelled as 'encroachers' and attacked by the Goonds of the rubber
plantations of Harrisson Malayalam Limited at Chengara near Konni in
Pathanamthitta District. Ten of them including women were admitted in the
hospitals in Pathanamthitta. According to the President of the SJVSV, Laha
Gopalan, about 4500 landless families involving 29000 odd people from
different parts have moved on to the struggle front building tents with
poles and plastic sheets. The Chickungunia epidemic is also taking its toll
on these poor people. Several people are lying in the sheds. Sixteen people
have been admitted in hospitals in Pathanamthitta.
With the rains continuing, the fever tightening its grip and the food stock
drying up; the people are facing a dire situation. But their spirits are
high even after 33 days. They affirm that they will not go back. "Give us
land or bullets", their lips read.
This is actually the second phase of the struggle. 10 months back the SJVSV
launched a struggle that was on very much similar lines. It was in Kumbazha
Estate of the same management. The struggle was called-off after getting
assurance from the Government that their demand would be looked into. Since
there was no indication of any positive move from the state Govt, the SJVSU
moved into the present struggle by occupying new land. To begin with, they
occupied about 125 acres. After Onam Festival they have spread on to a
larger area covering four hills - each family occupying one acre of land.
This has two advantages. One, the earlier area was covered with Rubber trees
which were yielding. The present spot is having old trees, non-yielding. The
Trade unions were against the landless poor who occupied the land, saying
that the 'encroachers' were not allowing them to continue their plantation
related work. But, now since there is no hindrance for rubber tapping, the
workers are more friendly. Secondly the Management and TUs had approached
the court and the court advised the authorities that the encroachers be
evicted without using force. Now, as they are out of that particular locale,
the management may need fresh advice from the court.
The estate under purview has trespassed its lease period. Their claim is
that even if the land is not theirs, the trees are theirs. Basically this is
land which has to be taken back from the planters and given to the landless.
The Left Front Government by its one year old promise is bound to do that..
The Ghost of Muthanga, where the police shot at the advisis who claimed
their ancestral land, should continue to haunt the authorities. The
government had given in writing that the Advasis will be allotted land. The
governments of whichever shade; right of left have not fulfilled the promise
of providing land to the landless except in a very very nominal way.
Muthanga is a landmark in peoples struggle for land and it challenges people
to go on with struggles claiming land for the dalits and adivasi.
By the least standards, 56% of dalits and advisis in Kerala have no land.
One of the women in the huts in Chengara was narrating her experience of
having to bury her husband a pit in the kitchen of her hut. The Advisis,
dalits and dalit Christians (all these communities are among the 4500
occupiers in Chengara) constitute about 65 lakhs in Kerala's population - 5
lakhs of Adivasis and the rest Dalits. These people if they posses 2 cents,
4 cents or at best 10 cents of land, they are considered as landowners while
there are corporate houses that get thousands and thousands of acres on
lease. And there are estate owners such as 'Harrisons Malayalam' who have no
legal right over thousands of acres that they hold on to. They have 33
estates (Tea & Rubber) holding not less than fifty thousand acres in six
districts of Kerala. How do we reconcile with such injustice? The reality
which is the reason for hope is that these communities who are denied basic
rights are becoming conscious and they are rising up.
The present agitation is an indication of the intense nature of the
struggle. It is not easy for 4000 odd families (which keeps on increasing
by a minimum of 20 families a day) to come away to an area surrounded by
"enemies" and to stay on for weeks and months fighting the most horrid
situations of rain, epidemics and hunger. The families at the Kurumbatti
division of the Chengara estate were asked what if the court gives the
verdict to oust the encoachers; the women were the most vocal in declaring:
"We have fiive liters of Kerosin Oil and the moment the authorities turn us
out we will burn ourselves. No question of retreating without getting land".
The management, Trade Unions and the media were most unfriendly to the land
struggle at Chengara. The Political Parties including the CPI-M and CPI who
led the land struggle in Khammam in Andhra Pradesh in August, who are
collecting money to help the families of the deceased in Khammam; are
sparing no effort to drive away the poor dalits and adivasis struggling for
land in Kerala. The media except for one or two Malayalam dailies are
adopting an anti- struggle position.
The important thing to note is that common people are not aware of the
developments; the life and death struggle going on in the neghbourhood in
Chengara involving thousands of landless poor. The ruling coalition is
showing total apathy to the struggle of a major section of people. These
Communities are coming to a new awareness that they have to posses land.
They realize that land is the symbol of power and authority. So far they
have been kept out of that. Land, which was the life-blood of these
communities, was plucked away from them. The same land is in the hands of
Corporations like Harrisons and real estate mafia. It is no more a
life-providing, God given resource, but a commodity to make profit. The
communities near to the natural resources like land and water are realising
that they have to reain ownership of the natural resources their ancestors
collectively owned. They have to posses the life-producing and
life-sustaining resources. The present trend is leading to a negation of
life of humans and nature. Unless they retrieve the land, the future of
human and nature are in danger.
The land struggles that go on in Kerala in Chengara and in some other parts
also are a symbol of people coming to deeper conciopusness of their relation
with land and nature and its politics. They are symptomatic of the land
struggles in Mudigonda Kammam (Andra Pradesh), Sonbhadra (UP), Rewa (MP),
Orissa and in other parts of India. There are land struggles trying to
posses land and then land struggles to affirm the right over land, not
prepared to yield their land to the corporations as in the case of Singur
and Nandigram.
Land struggles of such nature represent a new era of peoples awakening.
They point to a bright horizon where we see people asserting their right to
life; to create and preserve life. The Chengara struggle of the Sadhujana
Vimochana Samyukta Vedi deservers support and encouragement from all
sections of people who look for a new order. The people have to get land.
They have to win. They need your support.
Please contact the following for further information relating to this -
**
*Thattayil Saraswathy *, General Secretary, Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyutha
Vedi.,
Shreenilayam , Parakkara –PO, Thattayil ,Pathanamthitta-691525.
**
*Laha Gopalan, *State President, SVSV, Pathanamthita-PO,Pathanamthita
,Kerala
Phone - 09249101709.
*Contact persons from the SJVSV support committee in Kerala: *
*P.J. Johnson & Jomon (Navachethana) – 0469-2630923, 09447956412 Email:
Jomon Cheriyan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dynamic Action (Navachethana) <
[EMAIL PROTECTED]>*
*Joy Joseph (Programme for Social Action) – 09447907635 Email: Joy J
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>*
*ARUN KHOTE, National Campaign On Dalit Human Rights- NCDHR, New Delhi -
0-9359183802 ,E Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] , [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
*Delhi Solidarity Group**: Bijulal MV (09968161012), Vijayan MJ
(011-26671556 / 26680883) *
*Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*
