To galvanise public support for defending rights of tribal people and other traditional forest dwellers over forest lands as per legal provisions, the CPI(M) district committee has called for a “Praja Garjana”, a rally-cum-public meeting to highlight the issues of podu cultivators in Kothagudem on January 25.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and former MP Brinda Karat, former Bhadrachalam MP Midiam Babu Rao, party State committee secretary and former Khammam MP Tammineni Veerabhadram, and a host of other senior party leaders will address the public meeting.
The Telangana Vyavasaya Karmika Sangham, Rythu Sangham, Girijana Sangham and other frontal wings of the party have conducted an extensive campaign on Praja Garjana in tribal areas of the district in the past few days for mass mobilisation for the cause of podu cultivators.
Posters were released and meetings were held in various villages in Charla, Manuguru, Annapureddypalli, Chandrugonda, and several other mandals in the tribal-dominated district.
Posters containing a slew of demands including grant of pattas for all podu lands under cultivation as per the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, and halt to alleged repressive measures against podu cultivators, among others, sprang up in the district.
Organisers also brought out pamphlets highlighting the TRS regime’s alleged “unfulfilled promise” to resolve issues of tribal farmers cultivating podu lands.
Controversial laws
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) Khammam district committee will hold a seminar on “CAA, NRC – Three Farm Laws – Challenges Faced by People” at Varthaka Sangham Bhavan in Khammam at 5 p.m. on January 25. Ms Karat will address the seminar.
