The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : MRPS demands land for landless Dalits

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 04, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

MRPS demands land for landless Dalits

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI. Jan. 3. Activists of the Chittoor district unit of the Madiga Reservations Porata Samithi (MRPS) on Monday took out a rally through the main streets of Tirupati demanding allotment of land to all landless Dalits besides restoring the landholdings, which though they belonged to the Dailts were under the illegal occupation of landlords.

Among those who led the rally were the State vice-president of the MRPS, G. Giridhar Madiga, and the State president of the Dalita Bahujana Samakhya, T.K. Murthy.

Addressing the rally in front of the RDO's office here, Mr. Murthy called for a `relentless fight' till the entire surplus lands in the district got allotted to all deserving farm coolies instead of the mere 5000 acres earmarked for distribution on January 26 as part of a State-wide programme.

Call to book cases

Mr. Giridhar Madiga wanted 50 per cent of lands to be distributed in the State under the programme to be allotted to Dalits and weaker sections and called upon the `bahujans' to be prepared for a movement, if necessary, to get the task accomplished. He also wanted cases to be booked under the Prevention of Atrocities on SC/STs Act against landlords who had usurped the lands allotted to the Dalits.

Other speakers cited specific cases wherein lands allotted to Dalits in Bhimavaram, Ramanujapalle etc. were under illegal occupation of `forward castes' since decades and wanted the revenue authorities to retrieve and restore them to their `real owners'.

The rallyists later presented a memorandum to the RDO, Tirupati, Rami Reddy.

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