The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : CPI (ML) to launch `land for landless' struggle

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Thursday, Jun 07, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

CPI (ML) to launch `land for landless' struggle

Special Correspondent

`Auction of land recovered from encroachers should stop'

BANGALORE: The Communist Party of India (ML) has decided to launch a "land for the landless" struggle to counter the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) projects in the State.

Under this struggle, the party would encourage landless poor agricultural labourers to take up cultivation of excess government land such as gomal land in villages, party State secretary R. Manasaiah told on Wednesday.

He said the party had already commenced a Statewide survey to find out the extent of availability of government land in rural areas which could be cultivated. He also demanded that the Government stop auctioning of the land recovered from encroachers. Instead, it should distribute the recovered land to the landless poor.

Condemning the SEZ projects, Mr. Manasaiah told a press conference that the State was being mortgaged to MNCs by the ruling combine. The Opposition Congress was also supporting the SEZs, he alleged.

He demanded that the SEZ Act itself be scrapped. Such projects were helping a few industrialists at the cost of the welfare of lakhs of poor farmers and farm labourers.

The CPI (ML), in association with other likeminded organisations, would form a State-level anti-SEZ committee to monitor the struggle against SEZs, he said.

Convention

To chalk out an action plan for their struggle, the CPI (ML), the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangharsha Samiti and Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (Samyojaka) will together organise a convention against SEZs in Bangalore on June 17.

Noted personalities such as the former Supreme Court judge P.B. Sawant, trade union leader Sanjay Singhvi, progressive thinker Ramdas, Kannada writer Chandrashekhar Patil and leaders spearheading the agitation against SEZs in other States would participate in this convention.

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