The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A manifesto for the people

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Sunday, Apr 20, 2008
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A manifesto for the people

Special Correspondent

It has been prepared by a coalition of organisations

Door-to-door campaign planned from April 22
The manifesto lists demands of common people

Bangalore: The tenets of the Constitution should be the only guiding principle of Indian democracy, and those who woo the electorate in the name of religion should be taught a lesson, says H. Ganapathiyappa, freedom fighter and leader of the Kagodu struggle for land rights.

Speaking at the launch of “People’s Manifesto” by Prajaprabhutwakkaagi Janara Okkuta (a coalition of individuals and organisations for democracy), the 85-yer-old activist declared, “If urging people not to vote for a communal party like the BJP amounts to violation of the election code of conduct, I am willing to be punished for it.”

‘Leave us in peace’

Politicians who have declared that they will turn Karnataka into another Gujarat will do well to leave the State in peace and migrate to Gujarat, he said.

Recalling the days of the Kagodu struggle in Shimoga district in 1957, he said, “Those who were in the forefront of the struggle went on to become political leaders. But they left the ideal of land reforms by the wayside.”

It is unfortunate that Indian democracy, earned through a hard and prolonged struggle, is being “sold away” to miners and real-estate bigwigs, he added. Freedom had meant only a transfer of administrative powers and had not translated into social, economic and religious freedom, he regretted.

Released

The “People’s Manifesto” was released by M. Rangayya from Mandya, a retired pourakarmika (municipality employee) who is eking out a living as a cobbler, and N. Shaheena, a social activist from Shimoga.

Sharing his experience as a voter from a marginalised community, Mr. Rangayya said, “During elections they come to our doorstep begging, promising to give us anything we ask. But there are dogs at their gates to chase us away when they are in power.” He said there were no homes for the poor and “no water to even douse a fire if any of our huts catch fire,” making a plea not to vote blindly.

Campaign planned

K.L. Ashok, convener of the okkuta, said that they would undertake a door-to-door campaign from April 22 till the elections with the principal objective of defeating the play of communal forces. The manifesto, he said, listed demands of common people under various heads and touched upon a range of issues including those related to livelihood, identity and rights of the marginalised.

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