Kerala Dalit Maha Sabha (KDMS) has called upon the dalits in the State not to accept the agreement reached between the Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyukta Vedi (SJVSV) leader, Laha Gopalan and the State government on allotment of land to the landless people who have been encroaching upon the Kumabazha Estate at Chengara since the past 26 months.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the KDMS leaders, K. Ambujakshan, K.K. Kochu, Sreeraman Koyyon, K.M. Salimkumar and Bijoy David, alleged that the SJVSV leadership has deceived the poor landless people who were camping at Chengara in pathetic conditions.
They alleged that the terms and conditions of the agreement accepted by Mr. Gopalan had further cast a shadow over the right of the poor landless Scheduled Caste sections to get one acre land as per the Land Reforms Act. Moreover, the tribals in the State too were supposed to get one to five acres of land as per the agreement signed between the previous UDF government led by Mr. A.K. Antony and the Adivasi-Dalit Samara Samiti on 16, October 2001, they added.
Mr. Koyyon and Mr. Kochu who were in the forefront of Chengara agitation right from its earlier stages said the land struggle was raised to national and international levels and prominent social activists, including Medha Patkar and Arundhati Roy, visited Chengara only because of the active support extended by the Chengara Solidarity Forum. However, the forum had little option but to silently withdraw from the scene when Mr. Gopalan allegedly joined hands with certain extremist elements who were having their own vested interests.
The KDMS leaders also alleged persecution of several dalits at Chengara at the hands of the vedi leadership and many people were forced to flee from there, unable to withstand the harassment.
The vedi leadership has been collecting Rs. 425 towards membership fee and Rs. 250 as weekly levy for collecting latex from the rubber estate under their occupation, besides various other fund mobilisation schemes, they alleged. Many poor dalits, including women, were forced to leave Chengara unable to withstand the physical and mental persecution, they added.
KDMS leaders said dalits would continue their struggle for getting a due share of land for each landless family among them.
Vedi workers allege harassment
Meanwhile, accompanying the KDMS leaders, seven dalits, including a woman who was a part of the first batch of vedi workers to encroach upon the Kumbazha Estate in August 2007, accused the vedi leadership of fleecing the poor people at the occupied land.
K.I. Nanu, a former vedi convener and Rajamma of Mundukottackal, worker, alleged that they were forced to leave Chengara due to physical and mental harassment for questioning the misdeeds of the vedi leadership.
Presenting cash receipts issued by SJVSV, they also accused the vedi leadership of forced fund mobilisation by the vedi leadership from the landless poor families at the occupied land.
KDMS leaders said a debate on the Chengara land struggle would be organised in Pathanamthitta on October 23.
