New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, a coalition of grassroots organisations championing the rights of indigenous communities and farmers, and ecological conservation, on Tuesday urged people to join the February 16 nationwide strike and Grameen Bandh.
“We, the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, call upon every conscious citizen to rise against the destructive and authoritarian policies of the corporate communal nexus. Our nation’s future hinges on replacing these divisive policies with those that champion the rights of the worker, farmer, and common people,” the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA) said in a statement.
The BAA is among the several organisations, trade unions and youth organisations which have extended support to the bandh call by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Joint Platform of central trade unions (CTU) for February 16.
The BAA, an umbrella body comprising around 100 organisations, called for upholding the Forest Rights Act, guaranteeing fair wages for workers and farmers, and addressing the privatisation of essential services.
It also demanded that the dilution of Forest Rights Act be stopped, and that the Forest Rights Act of 2006 and The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 be implemented in letter and spirit.
It also sought repealing of amendments in the biodiversity and forest conservation acts, and abolition of Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Speaking about the bandh call, CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah said, “The core issue is that resources belong to the people… This will be the last push against the Modi government ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.” “Tribals should have right to the land where they live, and the resources,” he said.
Roma, an activist from the All India Union of Forest Working People, accused the government of having a design to give forest land to the corporate.
“This is about the Jal, Jungle, Jameen of Tribals. They are trying to take over jungles through backdoor laws, and Manipur is the biggest example. They tried to throw Kukis out and take over their land,” she said.
The BAA also backed the demand for Minimum Support Price based on the C2+50 percent formula, minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month, loan waivers for small and middle farm households, and revocation of the new Labour Codes among other demands.
“The present government’s anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-people measures, hidden behind legislative façades, necessitate our collective outcry. We must rise against the fascist pro-corporate RSS-BJP led NDA government,” it said in the statement.
“On 16 February 2024, Bhumi Adhikar Andolan calls upon all pro-people organisations and individuals for a nationwide protest. This day symbolizes our collective resistance against land plunder and regressive policies. This day symbolizes our collective resistance against land plunder and regressive policies,” the BAA added.
SKM and the Joint Platform of CTUs have given a call for a nationwide general strike and Grameen Bandh (rural close down) on February 16, to protest ‘against the anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national policies’ of the central government.
All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH), All India Coordination Committee of Road Transport Workers, and different student’s and youth organisations have also extended their support to the call for the February 16 strike. PTI AO RPA
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