The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : ‘Chengara stir to establish land rights of Adivasis’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 04, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

‘Chengara stir to establish land rights of Adivasis’

Staff Reporter

Arundhati Roy

KOCHI: The struggle undertaken by Dalits and Adivasis at Chengara was not a struggle for land alone, but a struggle for the right to dream, said writer and human rights activist Arundhati Roy. The Chengara struggle was much more radical than that of Nandigram, she said.

Ms. Roy was addressing a national solidarity meeting of the Chengara land agitation here on Saturday.

Pointing out that the Harrison group was facing charges of large-scale encroachment, she said there were no arrests of those involved in it. “Why are the police behind the occupation now,” she asked.

To dream and to live with dignity is a fundamental right of humanity. The Chengara struggle had already underlined this right, irrespective of the future course, she said.

The struggle for land is connected with issues pertaining to caste. “You can’t forget the link between Dalits and land issue. You have to address the caste issue.”

Recalling her visit to Chengara, Ms. Roy said she saw a hidden nation where untouchability was existing. Many societies have Adivasis, but not untouchability. “It is a shameful social system. We pretend that it does not exist.” The issue was not mentioned even in political discourse, she said, adding that she was not an anti-communist.

Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the government was engaged in a neo-liberal onslaught at Chengara. It was a reversal of pronouncements of court because land had not been distributed as per the Constitution.

Laha Gopalan, leader of the Chengara agitation, said about 27,000 people were involved in the struggle. The struggle was one to establish the right to have land as established by the Constitution, he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala