Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat led a protest in front of the Collector’s office here on Wednesday to spotlight food security for the poor and enforcement of land acquisition norms, especially those governing land of tribal people.
Ms. Karat is in Jharkhand as part of the party’s five-day nationwide campaign for food security and land rights for the poor. She visited Chatra district and spoke at a public meeting and led a demonstration in front of the Hunterganj block office on Tuesday.
“Laws that protect tribal families’ land ownership, such as the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, are being violated in Jharkhand, though several districts are under Schedule V of the Constitution. For instance, the government and the municipal bodies have not made public how they plan to acquire land for the Greater Ranchi Plan when so much of the land is owned by tribals,” she said.
She said the State government had not revised its Below Poverty Line [list] for years. “Most poor families are still excluded from the… list, having no access to food, even as grain rot in storage in Delhi. We demand immediate distribution of 35 kg of grain to the poor at Re. 1 a kg.”
Ms. Karat condemned the naxal attack on a Congress rally in Chhattisgarh.
Ms. Karat will lead a similar protest at Deoghar and Godda in Santhal Pargana on Thursday and Friday.
