The third anniversary of the launch of the agitation for land by 1,500 families under the banner of the Adivasi-Dalit Munnetta Samiti will be inaugurated by film actor Suresh Gopi.
The inauguration will be held at the Arippa agitation grounds, near Kulathupzha, on January 9 afternoon. Journalist and human rights activist B.R.P. Bhaskar will deliver the keynote address.
At a press conference here on Friday, samiti president Sreeraman Koyyon said shortly before the recent elections to the local bodies, the State government, in a mediation attempt through the Ekta Parishad, had promised to settle the agitation by identifying land encroached upon and begin distribution of such land to the landless in January.
“But the government has not kept its word.”
Protesting against the alleged negative stand of the State government towards agitations for land by the landless, the samiti will observe Muthanga Day on February 19 by joining hands with the Ekta Parishad and holding a dharna in front of the Secretariat. Ekta Parishad founder P.V. Rajagopal will inaugurate the dharna there.
Mr. Koyyon said that more than 5 lakh acres of plantations started by the British which should have gone to the government after Independence were now in private hands on the basis of manipulated documents. The same had been identified by the State government-appointed special officer for land reclamation, M.G. Rajamanickam. But the government did not take any steps to reclaim such land, Mr. Koyyon said.
Move to label stir
He said more than 2,000 persons, including children, were protesting at Arippa.
Instead of finding solutions to their problem, there are concerted moves to label the Arippa agitation as a communal agitation. Mr. Koyyon denied the allegation and said it had the support of various political parties and other organisations. “We welcome the support of anyone except Maoists,” he added.
